1
as in illustrates
to make plain or understandable
a pamphlet that explains the medical procedure in language that any layperson can understand
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifies
to give the reason for or cause of
can you explain your very odd behavior at the wedding reception?
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Recent Examples of explains
The combination probably explains the excessive growth, turning the water surface an opaque green and preventing onlookers from seeing the new blue hue of the concrete basin.
—
Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
Leus explains that the INXS tune was important to the filmmakers and encapsulated the relationship between Jo and Raissa.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 19 June 2026
That logic explains why Adyen launched Adyen Agentic on June 16, a modular three-layer API suite; Agentic Feed, Agentic Cart, and Agentic Payments.
—Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Discussions about the feature version, Davis explains, have already begun.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 19 June 2026
The Rose of Nevada clearly has a tragic history, which perhaps explains the psychological paralysis of the few remaining townsfolk.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Cooper explains that while scientists have documented placebo responses for centuries, the phenomenon gained broader recognition in the early 20th century as researchers realized patients often improved even after receiving inactive treatments.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 18 June 2026
Nicole Brown Simpson's ex, Joseph Perrulli, explains how a near death experience in 2024 led him to share their love story in a new book.
—Liz McNeil, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
These soils lie beyond a depth of three meters, or about 10 feet, explains Yi Xi, the study’s first author and a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory for Climate and Environmental Sciences in France.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 12 June 2026
Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
Leus explains that the INXS tune was important to the filmmakers and encapsulated the relationship between Jo and Raissa.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 19 June 2026
That logic explains why Adyen launched Adyen Agentic on June 16, a modular three-layer API suite; Agentic Feed, Agentic Cart, and Agentic Payments.
—Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Discussions about the feature version, Davis explains, have already begun.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 19 June 2026
The Rose of Nevada clearly has a tragic history, which perhaps explains the psychological paralysis of the few remaining townsfolk.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Cooper explains that while scientists have documented placebo responses for centuries, the phenomenon gained broader recognition in the early 20th century as researchers realized patients often improved even after receiving inactive treatments.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 18 June 2026
Nicole Brown Simpson's ex, Joseph Perrulli, explains how a near death experience in 2024 led him to share their love story in a new book.
—Liz McNeil, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
These soils lie beyond a depth of three meters, or about 10 feet, explains Yi Xi, the study’s first author and a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory for Climate and Environmental Sciences in France.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explains
Verb
-
Radio traffic from early Tuesday evening illustrates how close together a string of shootings occurred along Kansas City highways that left four injured and one dead.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
-
According to Skic, the exhibit illustrates how the Declaration's influence extended far beyond the Revolutionary era and became part of the argument for expanding civil rights to more Americans.—
Josh Sanders,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Lestat justifies his, uh, connection with Gabriella by arguing that vampires transcend petty human concepts like conventional morality.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
7 June 2026
-
Each new layer of ambition justifies a higher valuation, but the economics have not yet caught up with the narrative.—
Rory McDonald,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
This distinction also clarifies where AI should and shouldn't operate.—
David Flower,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Progetto 11 also clarifies that Coperni is controlled by two entities, Coperni UK Limited, which holds the license with Tomorrow, and Coperni SAS, a French operating company that oversees day-to-day operations.—
Joe Bobowicz,
Vogue,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
But since neo-Brandeisian thought rejects economics as a pseudo-science that rationalizes the desires of capital owners, that objection carries little weight.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2026
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But as another voter rationalizes, the sheer size of the ballot will do more harm than good in the long run.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This case demonstrates that our Office will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who seek to profit through fraud.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
For others, the salary cap proposal demonstrates pure greed from owners who are all fabulously wealthy yet perennially crying poor.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
This critical tool greatly simplifies the machine learning task of predicting the next global snapshot (six hours ahead) based on previous snapshots.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
-
Allesin simplifies this with a no-drill approach, making setup straightforward and wall-friendly.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Math illuminates how traffic flows, how our cells build proteins and even how to speed up medical imaging scans.—
Carolyn Y. Johnson,
Washington Post,
14 June 2026
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Compact and endlessly charming, Touch of Gold® Holly shines year-round with brilliant golden foliage that illuminates the garden.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Explains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explains. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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