illustrate

verb

il·lus·trate ˈi-lə-ˌstrāt

also i-ˈlə-

illustrated; illustrating

Synonyms of illustrate next

transitive verb

: to provide with visual features intended to explain or decorate

illustrate a book

: to make clear by giving or by serving as an example or instance

: to make clear : clarify

: to show clearly : demonstrate

obsolete

: enlighten

: to light up

archaic : to make illustrious

b obsolete

(1)

: to make bright

(2)

: adorn

intransitive verb

: to give an example or instance

illustrator

ˈi-lə-ˌstrā-tər

also i-ˈlə-

noun

Examples of illustrate in a Sentence

He illustrated his lecture with stories of his own experiences in the field. Please give a few examples to illustrate your point. The results illustrate how important it is to wear your seatbelt. The students will write and illustrate their own stories.

Recent Examples on the Web In fact, the back half of the project, featuring stars ranging from Teyana Taylor to Coco Jones to Jeremih, illustrates just how adept Diddy remains at bridging gaps between a new generation of stars and his own. —

Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 15 Sep. 2023 The polls illustrate the tricky political challenges faced by Mr. Biden on immigration policy, one of the country's most divisive issues. —

Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2023 Apple’s supply chain efforts, though heroic by comparison, illustrate the limits of how far corporate greening can get you toward carbon neutral—only about three-quarters of the way by the company’s estimation. —

WIRED, 14 Sep. 2023 The images illustrate that the track-only Bolide is so much more than just a re-bodied Chiron. —

Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2023 The self-driving car scenario illustrates this issue. —

Mark Bailey, The Conversation, 13 Sep. 2023 The episode with Grimes illustrates the difficulty Musk has had in his personal life, with former wives whom Isaacson interviewed complaining about Musk’s obsessions with work or his lack of empathy. —

Byirina Ivanova, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2023 The debate inside and outside the court walls illustrated the pervasive split in how Israelis view the high court. —

Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023 That was illustrated by some drops and a major fourth-quarter mistake by K.C. Concepcion, who had a pass slip through his hands, hit him in the face mask and bounce to Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts to set up a short field and one of Hartman’s touchdown tosses. —

Aaron Beard, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2023 See More

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