explained; explaining; explains
1
a
: to make known
explain the secret of your success
b
: to make plain or understandable
footnotes that explain the terms
2
: to give the reason for or cause of
unable to explain his strange conduct
3
: to show the logical development or relationships of
explained the new theory
: to make something plain or understandable
a report that suggests rather than explains
Examples of explain in a Sentence
I need a lawyer to explain this contract to me.
The professor explained the poem to the class.
She explained how the machine worked.
I explained to them that I would be available by phone.
Scientists could not explain the strange lights in the sky.
I don't know how to explain the dog's strange behavior.
We asked him to explain his reasons to us.
Can you explain why no one was informed earlier?
That explains why we were so far behind schedule.
Give me a chance to explain.
Recent Examples on the Web
Figure explains this innovative approach.
—
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2025
It was explained to the passengers that a concentration of plankton had drawn swarms of small fish to the area; the concentration of small fish had attracted larger fish, which devoured the smaller fish; these predators attracted larger predators, to devour them.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
All of that helps explain how Gordon got back up in 2011 with 45 doubles, 23 home runs and 87 RBIs to begin a five-year stretch as the best left-fielder in the game — as quantified by FanGraphs’ and Baseball-Reference’s measures of Wins Above Replacement.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2025
Figure explains that this decision was made to maintain tight control over robot quality, production efficiency, and performance.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explain
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Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2025
It was explained to the passengers that a concentration of plankton had drawn swarms of small fish to the area; the concentration of small fish had attracted larger fish, which devoured the smaller fish; these predators attracted larger predators, to devour them.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
All of that helps explain how Gordon got back up in 2011 with 45 doubles, 23 home runs and 87 RBIs to begin a five-year stretch as the best left-fielder in the game — as quantified by FanGraphs’ and Baseball-Reference’s measures of Wins Above Replacement.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2025
Figure explains that this decision was made to maintain tight control over robot quality, production efficiency, and performance.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explain
Cite this Entry
“Explain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explain. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
explain
verb
ex·plain
ik-ˈsplān 
1
: to make plain or understandable
2
: to give the reason for or cause of
explainer
noun
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