elaborate

1 of 2

adjective

elab·o·rate i-ˈla-b(ə-)rət

Synonyms of elaborate next

: planned or carried out with great care

took elaborate precautions

: marked by complexity, fullness of detail, or ornateness

elaborate prose

elaborately adverb

elaborateness noun

elaborate

2 of 2

verb

elab·o·rate i-ˈla-bə-ˌrāt

elaborated; elaborating

intransitive verb

: to expand something in detail

would you care to elaborate on that statement

: to become elaborate (see elaborate entry 1)

transitive verb

: to work out in detail : develop

elaborate a theory

: to produce by labor

: to build up (something, such as complex organic compounds) from simple ingredients

elaboration

i-ˌla-bə-ˈrā-shən

noun

elaborative

i-ˈla-bə-ˌrā-tiv

adjective

Example Sentences

Adjective Jumping spiders, the largest family of spiders, have excellent eyesight and perform elaborate courtship and threat displays, often characterized by ritualized body postures and leg waving. —

Simon Pollard, Natural History, March 1995

Mostly, I think, because it's wicked hot today, I've been having elaborate fantasies about the perfect hot-weather lunch: two dozen freshly opened Little Necks and a couple bottles of ice-cold lager. None of that red "cocktail" sauce on 'em either, just lemon and coarse black pepper. —

Vladimir Estragon, Waiting for Dessert, 1982

On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A. —

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, 1850

They made elaborate preparations for his visit. I see now that her behavior was all part of an elaborate plan. The dancers were wearing elaborate costumes. He told the story in elaborate detail. Verb … the National Weather Service … advised all citizens in New Orleans's water-filled neighborhoods "to take the necessary tools for survival." The Weather Service elaborated: "Those going into attics should try to take an axe or hatchet with them so they can cut their way onto the roof to avoid drowning should rising flood waters continue to rise into the attic." —

Christopher Cooper & Robert Block, Diaster, 2006

In each evening's sleep sustained dream scenarios, elaborated over periods lasting up to an hour, alternate with thought-like mentation in 90-minute-cycles. —

Jeffrey Saver, London Review of Books, 4 Aug. 1988

I'll be glad to elaborate if you want to hear more. She was asked to say more about her earlier statements, but she declined to elaborate. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Since then, the contest has expanded across Europe and beyond – Israel and Australia are both entrants – with ever-more elaborate staging and eye-popping costumes. —

Jill Lawless, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 May 2023 The service lasted around two hours, ending around 1pm, before the couple returned to the palace in an elaborate golden state coach to make an appearance alongside their family on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony. —

K.j. Yossman, Variety, 6 May 2023 There’s not an elaborate score that everyone reads. —

Elizabeth Myong, Dallas News, 5 May 2023 Of course, King Charles and Queen Camilla will wear elaborate traditional robes at Saturday's ceremony. —

Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 4 May 2023 The elaborate coronation rituals still help legitimize the royal transition — and sell the royal brand. —

Mary Jordan, Washington Post, 28 Apr. 2023 There have been elaborate presentations about its design and Starship was described as the vehicle that underpins SpaceX’s founding purpose: sending humans to Mars for the first time. —

Jackie Wattles, CNN, 20 Apr. 2023 That will also mean improving NATO’s air defenses — a major shortcoming from the shrinking militaries of the last 30 years, when few imagined Russian missiles raining down on Europe — and more numerous and elaborate troop exercises, visible to Moscow. —

Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2023 The truth is that elaborate schemes to reach for yield are totally unnecessary, as almost all Social Security experts know. —

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2023

Verb

Smith-Petersen — who married Keough eight years ago — did not elaborate further on any details, including their daughter's name. —

Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 14 May 2023 However, the newsletter’s author did not elaborate on how, since the meme’s co-option by hate groups in the mid-2010s, Matt Furie, the illustrator who originally created Pepe the Frog, has led a campaign to reclaim the frog from its association with hate speech. —

Ben Weiss, Fortune Crypto, 11 May 2023 Musk, who leads other companies including Tesla, didn’t elaborate further on the identity of the incoming CEO. —

wsj.com, 11 May 2023 Reckoning Part One' | Credit: Christian Black/Paramount The director confirms that MCU actress Hayley Atwell has a major role in the film but declines to elaborate too much on its nature. —

Clark Collis, EW.com, 10 May 2023 The instructions tell ChatGPT to elaborate on its answer. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 3 May 2023 Thornton did not elaborate on whether there is a connection between the two shootings. —

Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2023 Or Harrison needed a break from elaborating during his longest and most extensive interview session of the year. —

Callie Caplan, Dallas News, 19 Apr. 2023 Thompson said there was a racial component to the shooting but declined to elaborate. —

Melissa Chan, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elaborate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.