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

Synonyms of spell out

• explain
• illustrate
• clarify
• demonstrate

Examples of spell out in a Sentence

the dating applicant spelled out exactly what she wanted in a man

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, Netanyahu refused to spell out a more feasible objective of the military operation. — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

So, every task turns into a long list of dos and don'ts, with edge cases spelled out and exceptions named one by one. — Kayode Faturoti, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

After completing a few loops over the water, the pilot decided to spell out a cheeky message for eagle-eyed members of the aviation community. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

Confirm which pests are covered, what the cancellation terms are, and whether the service agreement spells out what’s included and excluded. — Jay Sparks, USA Today, 15 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for spell out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

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