explainer
noun
ex·plain·er
ik-ˈsplā-nər 
plural explainers
: a person or thing that explains something: such as
a
: a person who makes something understandable
Modern day presidents must be good explainers of a complex world …—
Jonathan Alter et al.
Jonathan Alter et al.
b
: an article, podcast, graphic, etc., that explains something complex or not widely understood : an in-depth treatment of a topic
… a whizzy economics explainer titled "Ways & Means" …—Sana Krasikov
Sana KrasikovEach half-hour episode contained a big explainer of a complicated issue. The list of topics sounds like the arcane scraps from the cutting-room floor of most newsrooms—the amount of hidden sugar in food, civil forfeiture, the false hopes of lotteries, the failure of the American government to safeguard people who served as interpreters in Iraq and Afghanistan.—David Carr
David CarrInside, the issue contains a long explainer piece on how the subprime mess came to be and how it wreaked havoc on Citi, Wall Street and especially Merrill.—Yvette Kantrow
Yvette KantrowExamples of explainer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From mind-bending discoveries to playful explainers, these are some of our favorite—and most popular—science videos of 2025.
—Carin Leong, Scientific American, 24 Dec. 2025
And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone‘s critics and reporters.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
The Flag and the Cross, a book by two sociologists about white Christian nationalism in America, was a book that Abughazaleh cited in an hour long explainer about white Christian nationalism and Project 2025.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 19 Dec. 2025
According to their explainer in Nature, the approach could be useful across a range of industries—both here and far beyond Earth.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explainer
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Carin Leong, Scientific American, 24 Dec. 2025
And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone‘s critics and reporters.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
The Flag and the Cross, a book by two sociologists about white Christian nationalism in America, was a book that Abughazaleh cited in an hour long explainer about white Christian nationalism and Project 2025.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 19 Dec. 2025
According to their explainer in Nature, the approach could be useful across a range of industries—both here and far beyond Earth.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explainer
Cite this Entry
“Explainer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explainer. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.
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