Synonyms of expound

expound

verb

ik-ˈspau̇nd 

1

as in to express

to make known (as an idea, emotion, or opinion)

a rambling interview in which the celebrated author expounds his views on an array of topics

Synonyms & Similar Words

• express
• voice
• give
• write
• state
• look
• announce
• say
• ventilate
• describe
• proclaim
• convey
• air
• put forth
• vent
• raise
• sound
• publish
• disseminate
• declare
• enunciate
• circulate
• advertise
• give air to
• offer
• submit
• broadcast
• write up
• communicate
• speak out
• speak up
• enounce
• put over
• put across
• chime in
• sound off

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suppress
• restrict
• restrain
• stifle
• censor

2

as in to explain

to make plain or understandable

at the start of the trial the judge expounded the legal difference between libel and slander to the jury

Synonyms & Similar Words

• explain
• clarify
• illustrate
• demonstrate
• interpret
• elucidate
• illuminate
• simplify
• explicate
• construe
• analyze
• clear (up)
• spell out
• demystify
• get across
• define
• resolve
• decipher
• unriddle
• specify
• solve
• decode
• unravel
• disentangle
• undo
• annotate
• untangle
• gloss
• break down
• unscramble
• commentate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obscure
• confuse
• cloud
• confound
• obfuscate
• befog

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb expound contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of expound are elucidate, explain, explicate, and interpret. While all these words mean "to make something clear or understandable," expound implies a careful often elaborate explanation.

expounding a scientific theory

When would elucidate be a good substitute for expound?

The words elucidate and expound are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, elucidate stresses the throwing of light upon as by offering details or motives previously unclear or only implicit.

elucidate an obscure passage

Where would explain be a reasonable alternative to expound?

While in some cases nearly identical to expound, explain implies a making plain or intelligible what is not immediately obvious or entirely known.

explain the rules

When might explicate be a better fit than expound?

The words explicate and expound can be used in similar contexts, but explicate adds the idea of a developed or detailed analysis.

explicate a poem

How are the words interpret and explain related as synonyms of expound?

Interpret adds to explain the need for imagination or sympathy or special knowledge in dealing with something.

interpreting a work of art

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of expound

This is in part because, whether owing to shrinking foreign-news budgets or to a reluctance to have individual correspondents expound on such a broad array of topics and countries, careers like Ascherson’s barely exist anymore. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026

In 2002 Thompson’s children expounded on the story and took issue with a number of Lange’s recollections, particularly that the family had sold their tires for food. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026

But Supreme Court scholars and the public alike seldom pay much attention to concurring opinions, in which a justice expounds on the views of their colleagues in the majority. — Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 9 July 2026

The tiny wine bar, across the street from the railroad tracks on Dixie Highway in Hollywood and across the parking lot from American Legion Post 92, is first and foremost focused on pouring and expounding on the beauty of natural wines from around the world. — Miami Herald, 18 June 2026