as in explaining
to make plain or understandable
the dating applicant spelled out exactly what she wanted in a man
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Recent Examples of spelling out
Patrons of The Rockhill Grille in the Crossroads may have noticed a door adjacent to the restaurant, with gold lettering spelling out the bar’s name.
—
Jenna Thompson
march 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2026
And Pearl, while making his team’s case Thursday, unwittingly did a fine job of spelling out the ills of expansion as well.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Trump castigated the court for not spelling out what happens to the tens of billions of dollars the government has already collected.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
The job qualifications are typically lean, spelling out a handful of core expectations.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
The timeline is worth spelling out.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
Volunteers recently took city representatives to the area to see the situation for themselves in the hope the city will install official signs spelling out the rules for bicyclists, including speed limits and the message that off-roading is prohibited.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The governor, who has emerged as a likely candidate for the 2028 presidential race, spent much of his hour-long speech spelling out the triumphs of his administration and extolling the values of California.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026
At the same time, Xinjiang, as an obvious hotspot, hardly needs spelling out.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 29 Oct. 2025
Jenna Thompson
march 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2026
And Pearl, while making his team’s case Thursday, unwittingly did a fine job of spelling out the ills of expansion as well.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Trump castigated the court for not spelling out what happens to the tens of billions of dollars the government has already collected.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
The job qualifications are typically lean, spelling out a handful of core expectations.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
The timeline is worth spelling out.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 17 Feb. 2026
Volunteers recently took city representatives to the area to see the situation for themselves in the hope the city will install official signs spelling out the rules for bicyclists, including speed limits and the message that off-roading is prohibited.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The governor, who has emerged as a likely candidate for the 2028 presidential race, spent much of his hour-long speech spelling out the triumphs of his administration and extolling the values of California.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026
At the same time, Xinjiang, as an obvious hotspot, hardly needs spelling out.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spelling out
Verb
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Board member David Young suggested the county could devise some kind of explanation or message on the county’s website explaining the reason for the changes, and Gumz asked Lasky to come up with language for a potential disclaimer for the website to be considered by the committee.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
When asked about the defective cameras in the jail and the lack of a clear timeline explaining how Epstein was able to take his own life, Blanche acknowledged mistakes.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The last Ag Reserve snapshot illustrating the breakdown is from 2023, which county officials recently presented during a 2025 meeting.—
Abigail Hasebroock,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
-
One of Mexico’s largest retailers is laying off workers in its fintech startup while scaling back its ambitions — illustrating the difficulty of establishing a foothold in the nation’s increasingly competitive financial system.—
Amy Stillman,
Bloomberg,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Haidilao’s corporate offices have yet to issue a statement clarifying the incident.—
Linda Zavoral,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
But the Walker signing was clarifying in multiple ways, including that the Chiefs by committing to him now virtually must prioritize corresponding moves to revive the receiver room and add edge rusher(s).—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
No student in German can graduate without demonstrating a detailed knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust.—
Terry Gross,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Institutions that once at least feigned being an ally are now demonstrating the opposite.—
Ron Stodghill,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For getting up the hill and getting across the flatter sections.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The issue has been discussed within Congress for years and has received bipartisan support, but obstacles have repeatedly stopped the effort from getting across the finish line.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spelling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spelling%20out. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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