- verbexplain (verb) · explains (third person present) · explained (past tense) · explained (past participle) · explaining (present participle)
- make (an idea, situation, or problem) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts or ideas:"they explained that their lives centered on the religious rituals" · "he explained the situation" · "“my daddy has spells,” Ben explained"Similar:give an explanation ofmake clear/plain/intelligibleput into wordsexpress in wordsOpposite:
- account for (an action or event) by giving a reason as excuse or justification:"Callie found it necessary to explain her blackened eye" · "he makes athletes explain why they made a mistake" · "she had tried to explain about Adam, hadn't she?"Similar:give an explanation forgive a reason forgive a justification forgive an excuse/alibi/apologia formake excuses forexplain awaygive a rationale for
- be the cause of or motivating factor for:"her father's violence explains her pacificism" · "this would explain why so many adult children still live with their parents"
- (explain something away)minimize the significance of an embarrassing fact or action by giving an excuse or justification:"they know stories about me that I can't explain away"
Originlate Middle English: from Latin explanare, based on planus ‘plain’. WEBLearn the meaning, synonyms, history, and usage of the verb explain, which means to make something clear or understandable. See examples of how to use explain in a …
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WEBLearn the meaning, pronunciation, and origin of the verb explain, which means to make plain or clear, to make known in detail, or to assign a meaning to. Find out how to use …
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WEBLearn the meaning of explain, a verb that means to make something clear or easy to understand by describing or giving information about it. See how to use explain in …
WEBFind 50 words that mean "to make something clear or understandable" or "to give the reason for or cause of" and their opposites. Learn how to use explain and its synonyms …
WEBLearn how to use the verb explain in different contexts and meanings. Find out the pronunciation, grammar, synonyms and examples of explain from the Oxford Advanced …
WEB1 to give someone reasons for your behavior, especially when they are angry or upset because of it I really don't see why I should have to explain myself to you. 2 to say what …
WEBTo explain something is to define it, show how it works, or just tell what it is. Explaining helps people understand. If you know football really well, then you could probably …
WEBLearn the meaning of explain as a verb and a noun, and see how to use it in different contexts. Find translations of explain in other languages and browse related words.
WEB1 day ago · Learn the meaning, usage, and pronunciation of the verb explain, which means to make clear, describe, or justify something. Find synonyms, related words, and example sentences from various sources.
WEBLearn the meaning, usage, synonyms, and collocations of the verb explain, which means to make clear or understandable, to give the cause or reason of, or to justify something. …
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