explainer

noun

ex·​plain·​er ik-ˈsplā-nər 

plural explainers

: a person or thing that explains something: such as

a

: a person who makes something understandable

Modern day presidents must be good explainers of a complex world …

—Jonathan Alter et al.

b

: an article, podcast, graphic, etc., that explains something complex or not widely understood : an in-depth treatment of a topic

… a whizzy economics explainer titled "Ways & Means" …

—Sana Krasikov

Each half-hour episode contained a big explainer of a complicated issue. The list of topics sounds like the arcane scraps from the cutting-room floor of most newsrooms—the amount of hidden sugar in food, civil forfeiture, the false hopes of lotteries, the failure of the American government to safeguard people who served as interpreters in Iraq and Afghanistan.

—David Carr

Inside, the issue contains a long explainer piece on how the subprime mess came to be and how it wreaked havoc on Citi, Wall Street and especially Merrill.

—Yvette Kantrow

Examples of explainer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For more on where the slowmaxxing movement started, see this full explainer. — Allison Palmer july 9, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026

For the full origin story on how this trend took off, check out this complete slowmaxxing explainer. — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026

For more details on SD card speed ratings, check out our explainer. — Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026

Newsom’s office also shared an explainer from CNN’s Elex Michaelson on why the process for counting votes is slower in California than in most states. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for explainer

• abstainer
• campaigner
• complainer
• container
• coplanar
• detainer
• maintainer
• nonplanar
• retainer
• sustainer
• entertainer
• gainer