spelled out

verb

past tense of spell out
as in explained
to make plain or understandable the dating applicant spelled out exactly what she wanted in a man

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of spelled out Ben mentioned before the risk factors that are spelled out in the SpaceX IPO, right? — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026 Adding to the authenticity, grittiness and realness of The Guest is the fact that some of the past between the characters gets hinted at but not always spelled out. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026 An arrangement of baby blue, navy and yellow flowers that spelled out his name. — Bracey Harris, NBC news, 28 June 2026 In each case, council members had to decide whether to use their power, spelled out in the City Charter, to suspend colleagues accused of wrongdoing — stripping away their duties until their criminal cases were resolved. — Los Angeles City Hall, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026 The 2015 Iran nuclear deal was a long and granular instrument that spelled out, in detail, the limits on Iran’s nuclear program. — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 19 June 2026 For people earning more than their state’s limit for Medicare coverage (100-138% of the FPL) but less than 400% of the FPL, income caps spelled out in premium tax credit rules are also rising slightly. — Katharina Buchholz, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 Its plight is spelled out in securities filings containing cryptic language. — CBS News, 11 June 2026 The medical examiner’s role, spelled out in Florida statute, requires the dead be identified, injuries and wounds be documented and cause and manner of death be determined. — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spelled out
  1. explained
  2. illustrated
  3. demonstrated
  4. clarified
  5. interpreted
  6. simplified
Verb
  • Powar explained that these systems are increasingly capable of working independently for extended periods, testing hypotheses, solving problems, and adapting their approach without constant human input.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
  • George Tzikas, a Sacramento County Regional Parks ranger, explained that the river’s currents can change, and that its underwater topography is often a contributing factor in many rescues.
    — Reeti Malhotra July 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of explained
Verb
  • There are few players outside the biggest clubs better at limiting the opposition’s chances, illustrated in The Athletic’s season-level player dashboard below.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 9 July 2026
  • That fact was starkly illustrated by the war in Iran, which saw Tehran effectively close the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic and Washington respond with a blockade of Iranian ports.
    — John Calabrese, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
Definition of illustrated
Verb
  • More recently, American diplomacy demonstrated that even long-standing disputes between Israel and Lebanon are not beyond negotiation.
    — Anthony Wanis-St John, The Conversation, 10 July 2026
  • Computer simulations further demonstrated that the decentralized coordination framework can scale to swarms of at least 64 robots.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
Definition of demonstrated
Verb
  • When asked how that policy would be affected by the new budget language, Pojmann clarified that her comments referred to the department’s practice before the law took effect.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026
  • Known for his deep technical knowledge and signature milk punches, Gibson has brought that ingenuity to Lucky Star through his reserved cocktails, such as the cookies and cream made with rum, clarified milk tea and creme de cacao.
    — Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of clarified
Verb
  • Since Olmstead, that has been broadly interpreted to mean care in someone’s own home or community rather than in a nursing home or public institution.
    — Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Aid agencies caution that the figure should not be interpreted as the number of people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Definition of interpreted
Verb
  • The site, with millions of users each year, was known for colorful charts that anyone could freely download and that simplified giant sets of data, such as temperature readings.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • The scorecard must be continually simplified and teams realigned around a common value stream.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of simplified

Browse Nearby Words

spelled
spelled out
speller
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spelled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spelled%20out. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All