spell out

verb

spelled out; spelling out; spells out

transitive verb

1
: to make plain
spelled out the orders in detail
2
: to write or print in letters and in full
numbers are to be spelled out

Examples of spell out in a Sentence

the dating applicant spelled out exactly what she wanted in a man
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But a chat message from Washington to a colleague, released to KUOW and ProPublica last week through a public records request, spells out additional reasons for turning down Daugaard’s proposal. Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025 One of the highest annual tides of the year is on Wednesday, and the offshore winds blown in from this disturbance, plus all of the rain, likely spells out more flooding for South Floridians. Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025 The accompanying video counts down from 2025 to 1995 with a flip-book of performance footage from throughout the years, as well as a compilation of the different fonts used to spell out the band’s name before tossing to a throwback series of shots of the five men from their earliest days together. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025 But the exceptions spelled out in NASA’s shutdown plans this week go even further, allowing work to continue on Artemis III — the landmark moon-landing mission currently slated for mid-2027 — as well as Artemis missions expected to fly later this decade or next. Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for spell out

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spell out was in 1940

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Cite this Entry

“Spell out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spell%20out. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

spell out

verb
1
: to make very plain
our duties were spelled out
2
: to write or print in letters and in full

More from Merriam-Webster on spell out

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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