Synonyms for explain
ɪkˈspleɪnex·plain

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. explainverb

   To give a sufficiently detailed report about (a) the reason for something, about why something happened, about a causal chain of events; about (b) how something works, about how elements in a system interact; about (c) how to do something, about the steps which need to be accomplished in order to accomplish a certain goal.

   Synonyms:
   expound, elaborate

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.8 / 4 votes

1. explain

   Synonyms:
   expound, teach, illustrate, clear up, interpret, elucidate, decipher

   Antonyms:
   mystify, obscure, darken, bewilder, misinterpret

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:3.7 / 3 votes

1. explain, explicateverb

   make plain and comprehensible

   "He explained the laws of physics to his students"

   Synonyms:
   excuse, explicate, formulate, develop

2. explainverb

   define

   "The committee explained their plan for fund-raising to the Dean"

   Synonyms:
   excuse, explicate

3. excuse, explainverb

   serve as a reason or cause or justification of

   "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"

   Synonyms:
   relieve, rationalize, explicate, let off, beg off, excuse, pardon, condone, apologise, exempt, rationalise, apologize, justify

Matched Categories

1. • Inform
   • Justify
   • State

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:1.0 / 2 votes

1. explainverb

   Synonyms:
   interpret, elucidate, expound, illustrate, unfold, solve, ECLAIRCIZE, clear up, make plain, throw light upon

2. explainverb

   Synonyms:
   account, give a reason, give an explanation

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. explainverb

   Synonyms:
   expound, elucidate, unfold, interpret

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "explain":

   explaining, explained, explains, clarify, explanation, declare, describe, justify, interpret, tell, elaborate, indicate

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How to use explain in a sentence?

1. Daunte Wrights:

   I heard the police officer come to the window and say,' Put the phone down and get out of the car,' and Kim Potter said,' Why ?' And he said,' We'll explain to Daunte Wright mother when Daunte Wright mother get out of the car,' so, I heard the phone get either put on the dashboard or dropped, and I heard scuffling, and I heard the police officers say,' Kim Potter, don't run.' And then the other officer said,' Put the phone down'.

2. Patrisse Cullors:

   These fake BLM accounts and fake BLM people literally stealing money off of Black Death is so stomach churning I can’t even begin to explain, we told [Facebook] over and over again to shut that s--t down. And it wouldn’t. Glad it’s down now.

3. Rebecca Lim:

   If the minister is not making the decision to release the men into community detention because it is not in the public interest, then he needs to explain what that means, indefinite detention is wrong.

4. Christian Stracke:

   We wanted to explain how complicated and potentially risky this could be. A rushed and poorly planned move to break up the banks under a new administration next year could be very destabilizing for the economy.

5. Pam Dudley:

   We want to be that safe place, that nonjudgmental place, that caring place that she can come and learn about all her options, she may feel like abortion is her only option when she first comes in, but we can explain that she has does other options and how that would work.