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

How to pronounce explain?

How to say explain in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

1. [["1505","3"],["1507","1"],["1515","3"],["1524","1"],["1563","1"],["1564","1"],["1568","1"],["1575","2"],["1579","5"],["1581","8"],["1582","2"],["1584","3"],["1587","2"],["1589","1"],["1590","30"],["1595","2"],["1607","10"],["1611","7"],["1618","1"],["1620","1"],["1624","2"],["1626","1"],["1635","5"],["1637","1"],["1643","2"],["1644","15"],["1645","1"],["1647","29"],["1648","7"],["1649","5"],["1651","5"],["1652","2"],["1653","3"],["1656","8"],["1657","6"],["1658","4"],["1659","2"],["1661","2"],["1662","2"],["1664","7"],["1665","1"],["1666","4"],["1667","15"],["1668","2"],["1669","5"],["1670","3"],["1671","4"],["1672","7"],["1673","9"],["1674","1"],["1675","19"],["1676","43"],["1677","8"],["1678","5"],["1679","46"],["1680","14"],["1681","30"],["1682","122"],["1683","67"],["1684","21"],["1685","38"],["1686","35"],["1687","23"],["1688","47"],["1689","12"],["1690","47"],["1691","5"],["1692","23"],["1693","23"],["1694","56"],["1695","29"],["1696","31"],["1697","36"],["1698","86"],["1699","118"],["1700","119"],["1701","210"],["1702","163"],["1703","96"],["1704","194"],["1705","164"],["1706","354"],["1707","82"],["1708","247"],["1709","68"],["1710","284"],["1711","265"],["1712","101"],["1713","164"],["1714","340"],["1715","261"],["1716","180"],["1717","331"],["1718","277"],["1719","145"],["1720","432"],["1721","352"],["1722","541"],["1723","256"],["1724","298"],["1725","427"],["1726","479"],["1727","486"],["1728","469"],["1729","464"],["1730","489"],["1731","557"],["1732","518"],["1733","281"],["1734","705"],["1735","440"],["1736","468"],["1737","488"],["1738","623"],["1739","571"],["1740","467"],["1741","340"],["1742","486"],["1743","466"],["1744","676"],["1745","542"],["1746","354"],["1747","650"],["1748","765"],["1749","643"],["1750","598"],["1751","847"],["1752","674"],["1753","889"],["1754","994"],["1755","770"],["1756","336"],["1757","479"],["1758","723"],["1759","819"],["1760","633"],["1761","537"],["1762","407"],["1763","774"],["1764","659"],["1765","644"],["1766","835"],["1767","724"],["1768","1142"],["1769","598"],["1770","924"],["1771","757"],["1772","870"],["1773","722"],["1774","800"],["1775","945"],["1776","1200"],["1777","822"],["1778","818"],["1779","709"],["1780","646"],["1781","772"],["1782","799"],["1783","731"],["1784","957"],["1785","1259"],["1786","1420"],["1787","1613"],["1788","1686"],["1789","1378"],["1790","1791"],["1791","1928"],["1792","1754"],["1793","1672"],["1794","1955"],["1795","1774"],["1796","2079"],["1797","1760"],["1798","1741"],["1799","1935"],["1800","2598"],["1801","4485"],["1802","4257"],["1803","3996"],["1804","4443"],["1805","4062"],["1806","4130"],["1807","4506"],["1808","4839"],["1809","5534"],["1810","5624"],["1811","7162"],["1812","6348"],["1813","5329"],["1814","6221"],["1815","6209"],["1816","5642"],["1817","6723"],["1818","7226"],["1819","6301"],["1820","8019"],["1821","6388"],["1822","10771"],["1823","9715"],["1824","12008"],["1825","12749"],["1826","9660"],["1827","10383"],["1828","10052"],["1829","12555"],["1830","11427"],["1831","11880"],["1832","12269"],["1833","12616"],["1834","11832"],["1835","14243"],["1836","14792"],["1837","14067"],["1838","13410"],["1839","14637"],["1840","16311"],["1841","15167"],["1842","13960"],["1843","15571"],["1844","14844"],["1845","17724"],["1846","18029"],["1847","17722"],["1848","18443"],["1849","18555"],["1850","19420"],["1851","20567"],["1852","21480"],["1853","25466"],["1854","26730"],["1855","25372"],["1856","23811"],["1857","21605"],["1858","20931"],["1859","22488"],["1860","24490"],["1861","17513"],["1862","15174"],["1863","15822"],["1864","18670"],["1865","18068"],["1866","20972"],["1867","19409"],["1868","22233"],["1869","21964"],["1870","21408"],["1871","25083"],["1872","24727"],["1873","25192"],["1874","28517"],["1875","27998"],["1876","26820"],["1877","27597"],["1878","25302"],["1879","27352"],["1880","31464"],["1881","33260"],["1882","33835"],["1883","41129"],["1884","36530"],["1885","33981"],["1886","30421"],["1887","33859"],["1888","33143"],["1889","32438"],["1890","33793"],["1891","38042"],["1892","41605"],["1893","41567"],["1894","40059"],["1895","41222"],["1896","46186"],["1897","44332"],["1898","44595"],["1899","55648"],["1900","57892"],["1901","54624"],["1902","54083"],["1903","52782"],["1904","57904"],["1905","55880"],["1906","59378"],["1907","60386"],["1908","59576"],["1909","56256"],["1910","56909"],["1911","58215"],["1912","61322"],["1913","57825"],["1914","55934"],["1915","48998"],["1916","48555"],["1917","52245"],["1918","44803"],["1919","47839"],["1920","60677"],["1921","54286"],["1922","62592"],["1923","52229"],["1924","49388"],["1925","50901"],["1926","47482"],["1927","56502"],["1928","53277"],["1929","54250"],["1930","58031"],["1931","56159"],["1932","48127"],["1933","43489"],["1934","49569"],["1935","54346"],["1936","54430"],["1937","56432"],["1938","56903"],["1939","57255"],["1940","51362"],["1941","47375"],["1942","46486"],["1943","39092"],["1944","36184"],["1945","40779"],["1946","55453"],["1947","62518"],["1948","68906"],["1949","77237"],["1950","80519"],["1951","78768"],["1952","79953"],["1953","82063"],["1954","79638"],["1955","89021"],["1956","92188"],["1957","103044"],["1958","102841"],["1959","106565"],["1960","121736"],["1961","135300"],["1962","146955"],["1963","156680"],["1964","158500"],["1965","176620"],["1966","186290"],["1967","192660"],["1968","215564"],["1969","210210"],["1970","227543"],["1971","226253"],["1972","235841"],["1973","232488"],["1974","229957"],["1975","233945"],["1976","250592"],["1977","250411"],["1978","257032"],["1979","265259"],["1980","275153"],["1981","284076"],["1982","295841"],["1983","304009"],["1984","322677"],["1985","334197"],["1986","360777"],["1987","372757"],["1988","388576"],["1989","415176"],["1990","447496"],["1991","449719"],["1992","484988"],["1993","490647"],["1994","530364"],["1995","551548"],["1996","582861"],["1997","600003"],["1998","634120"],["1999","668245"],["2000","758637"],["2001","771253"],["2002","851811"],["2003","926381"],["2004","992757"],["2005","988362"],["2006","1042913"],["2007","1093726"],["2008","1223154"]]

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use explain in a sentence?

1. Allyson Seel-Sorenson:

   I was standing behind a pillar. I was crying, no one showed up. No one called. Hallee just doesn’t understand. You can’t explain it to her. She operates at a 6-year-old’s level. She just doesn’t get it.

2. Joe Gendusa:

   We had to explain, do you realize these are people from all over the country? They sent money, they sent help down here. They only saw what they saw on television, they deserve to see what really happened.

3. Prime Minister David Cameron:

   If business backs my reforms ... I would argue get out there and support those things, the sooner you can start to look at your own businesses and come up with the examples and the ideas about the benefits and the problems that there are with Europe the more that you are able to help to explain and set the context for this vitally important question.

4. Hatice Cengiz:

   If these people are executed without any chance to speak or explain themselves, we might never know the truth behind this murder, i'm calling upon every authority in the world to condemn this kind of court decision and urgently prevent any execution, because this would just be another step in concealing the truth.

5. Temir Porras:

   There has to be a serene debate on economic strategy, the main problem is a lack of pragmatism in addressing the crisis itself, instead of trying to explain it with some political theory ... You can oppose capitalism but you cannot ignore that it exists.