as in explains
to make plain or understandable
the dating applicant spelled out exactly what she wanted in a man
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Recent Examples of spells out
Driving the Conversation Mina Kimes spells out success For my money, the smartest on-air talent in sports media is ESPN’s Mina Kimes.
—
Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The legislation also spells out enforcement steps the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Health and Human Services, Justice Department and state attorneys general can take against companies that violate the legislation.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 13 May 2026
The consent decree spells out the back pay 26 workers will get for work they should have been paid between 2019 and 2023.
—Esme Murphy, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
The Common Council has seen vacancies before, and city's municipal code spells out what the alderperson and the city must do when someone declares their intent to resign.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 13 Apr. 2026
On its website, the IRS spells out the new deduction amounts available at different income levels.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Lina communicates using a method in which a nonspeaking person spells out words with the assistance of a facilitator, often a family member.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
In a March 26 news release, Texas Parks and Wildlife officials announced an amendment that more clearly spells out what buyers must show at the counter and adds tougher documentation rules for some out-of-state and foreign applicants.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
Seeing the wall police breached to give people inside the club a chance to get out, or the bathrooms and dressing rooms where people hid, prayed for survival or reached out to family and friends carries an impact that spells out this nation’s terrifying vulnerability to gun violence.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The legislation also spells out enforcement steps the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Health and Human Services, Justice Department and state attorneys general can take against companies that violate the legislation.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 13 May 2026
The consent decree spells out the back pay 26 workers will get for work they should have been paid between 2019 and 2023.
—Esme Murphy, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
The Common Council has seen vacancies before, and city's municipal code spells out what the alderperson and the city must do when someone declares their intent to resign.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 13 Apr. 2026
On its website, the IRS spells out the new deduction amounts available at different income levels.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Lina communicates using a method in which a nonspeaking person spells out words with the assistance of a facilitator, often a family member.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
In a March 26 news release, Texas Parks and Wildlife officials announced an amendment that more clearly spells out what buyers must show at the counter and adds tougher documentation rules for some out-of-state and foreign applicants.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
Seeing the wall police breached to give people inside the club a chance to get out, or the bathrooms and dressing rooms where people hid, prayed for survival or reached out to family and friends carries an impact that spells out this nation’s terrifying vulnerability to gun violence.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spells out
Verb
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That 10-goal swing explains most of the standings drop.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
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Jerry Lanuzza, associate professor at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina, explains how to store alcohol, whether alcohol goes bad, and how long different types will last.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
Verb
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At the same time, the episode illustrates ongoing tensions in Washington over the appropriate balance between accelerating development and mitigating risks.—
Dan Irvine,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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Bapple emphasizes that the company’s work with Kalera, a vertical farming operator, illustrates this philosophy in practice.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Verb
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That signal clarifies where to focus, whether that means leading a visible project or intentionally building leadership skills.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Karp clarifies that yellow peppers come in next at 180 mg, more than 150-200 percent of the RDA for adults.—
Embry Roberts,
Martha Stewart,
24 May 2026
Verb
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The project demonstrates how advances in artificial intelligence and machine vision can be combined with precision motion-control systems to automate highly specific tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
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Lestat, now a contemporary rock star who writes songs about living openly undead, demonstrates his contempt for Interview With the Vampire by jeering at audience members who might have read it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spells out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spells%20out. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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