1
as in clarifying
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 justifying
to give the reason for or cause of
can you explain your very odd behavior at the wedding reception?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of explaining
The leader of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that fights antisemitism, is explaining his group's decision to set up a special project to monitor Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City.
—
NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Ukraine knows about the value of culture as soft power and spends a lot of money explaining to the world what’s going on in their country.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Otherwise, Craig Breslow will have a lot of explaining to do.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
The official apologized, explaining that he wasn’t authorized to say anything.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Captain John Jurkash, a public information officer for Whitestown's police department, declined to name the woman's employer, explaining that authorities first need the chance to notify the woman's family of her death.
—Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Different cultures and religions have various ways of explaining these experiences.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
And politicians often use them as a way of explaining why things are going in a wrong direction, instead of taking responsibility for whatever goes wrong, or simply to raise fear.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025
The inspiration came when Morrison overheard a store employee explaining the importance of wide toe boxes and flexible soles in early childhood footwear.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
Ukraine knows about the value of culture as soft power and spends a lot of money explaining to the world what’s going on in their country.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Otherwise, Craig Breslow will have a lot of explaining to do.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
The official apologized, explaining that he wasn’t authorized to say anything.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Captain John Jurkash, a public information officer for Whitestown's police department, declined to name the woman's employer, explaining that authorities first need the chance to notify the woman's family of her death.
—Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Different cultures and religions have various ways of explaining these experiences.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
And politicians often use them as a way of explaining why things are going in a wrong direction, instead of taking responsibility for whatever goes wrong, or simply to raise fear.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025
The inspiration came when Morrison overheard a store employee explaining the importance of wide toe boxes and flexible soles in early childhood footwear.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explaining
Verb
-
Thanks for clarifying, Michael.—
Megan Johnson,
Architectural Digest,
23 Oct. 2025
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The noncomedogenic formula retains face oil’s nourishing benefits while honing in on calming, clarifying, and evening.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Judge Ellis found that Bovino wasn’t hit in the head with a rock prior to deploying tear gas despite claims from the Department of Homeland Security justifying the use of force.—
Bill Kirkos,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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While working on the project, costs ballooned unexpectedly—reaching well over six figures—and this doctrine became an important reminder when justifying the expenses.—
Michelle Duncan,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Jayhawks would go onto win 38-21, with that particular drive illustrating the dominance of Kansas’ ground game Saturday.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
1 Nov. 2025
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But before the Dragon Ball anime, Toriyama worked on character designs for the Dragon Quest series, illustrating, among dozens of others, the instantly recognizable Slime seen in every entry in the series.—
Rhi Easby,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This time, rationalizing the medical results was impossible.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Boards under pressure for growth routinely make the wrong choice—rationalizing the damage as a problem for their successors.—
Andrew King,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tests in both artificial and real human saliva produced the same result, demonstrating that the single-application ELR coating could recreate enamel and withstand real-world impacts.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Nov. 2025
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The probe will then continue toward the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, demonstrating multi-target capability and testing autonomous navigation, anchoring, and sampling systems essential for future mining missions.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But attributing everything to the turnovers overlooks the fact that Michigan has thrown for fewer than 150 yards in back-to-back games against two of the worst teams in the Big Ten.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The book is a product of an era when attributing credit to servants of any kind would not have been expected, but times have changed.—
Adrian Miller,
Southern Living,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The pull-and-fold technique does not require taping each fold, simplifying the traditional wrapping process.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Nov. 2025
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By simplifying the on-site construction activities, customers can get their facilities operational faster than with some traditional construction projects.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The elections were largely in areas that have recently favored Democrats, so there are limits to interpreting what the results could mean for next year’s broader midterm races.—
Josh Boak,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
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Legendary investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway sold over $6 billion in stock in the third quarter of the year, in a move that some investors are interpreting as a warning to global markets.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explaining. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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