spells out

verb

present tense third-person singular of spell out
as in explains
to make plain or understandable the dating applicant spelled out exactly what she wanted in a man

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 spells out The film spells out the gargantuan payouts that each Boeing CEO has received, despite the crashes and questions about their actions and the company’s faltering value. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026 Abraham says the episode is slightly better than before, but repeatedly spells out simple beats much to her frustration. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 There are special allowances for vehicles at least 100 years old, believe it or not, but as this AutoWeek explainer from 2024 spells out, good luck trying to ship a ’60s Mustang across the world to drive it on their streets. — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 5 Aug. 2026 Confirm which pests are covered, what the cancellation terms are, and whether the service agreement spells out what’s included and excluded. — Jay Sparks, USA Today, 15 July 2026 As the name spells out, CeraViva Edible Melting Candles are … well …. — Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2026 The deal also spells out that any footage generated by AI will be under a director’s control. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 26 June 2026 The agreement says the US will issue waivers allowing Iran to export oil and spells out provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, among other measures. — Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 18 June 2026 Each piece spells out a message—happiness, beauty, and magnificence—in the ancient pictorial writing. — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spells out
  1. explains
  2. illustrates
  3. clarifies
  4. demonstrates
Verb
  • Odds of getting shares were worse than one in five thousand, which explains pretty loudly why the stock popped so much on launch.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Here, The Athletic explains the latest situation in terms of both outgoings and incomings at St James’ Park.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of explains
Verb
  • That sentiment illustrates a central tension raised by many of the actors who shared their stories with CNN.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Customer experience illustrates the distinction; an evolutionary approach focuses on reducing handling time, lowering cost to serve, and improving agent productivity.
    — Peter Bendor-Samuel, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of illustrates
Verb
  • The first clarifies that its PLX product does not provide law enforcement agencies with geolocation data, and the second says that the company has reached out to the complaint's authors to ask that the complaint against Penlink be withdrawn.
    — Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The report carefully clarifies that some of the points for analysis refer specifically to the app (for example, Claude or Gemini) while others relate to the provider (for example, Anthropic or Google).
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of clarifies
Verb
  • Reports have revealed that moving such a large and capable naval formation into a region experiencing serious tensions demonstrates that Washington is prepared to maintain substantial military capabilities there.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
  • An audit demonstrates that controls were tested during a prior period.
    — Bora Unlu, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of demonstrates

Browse Nearby Words

spells
spells out
spence
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Cite this Entry

“Spells out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spells%20out. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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