1
as in clarifying
to make plain or understandable
a pamphlet that explains the medical procedure in language that any layperson can understand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifying
to give the reason for or cause of
can you explain your very odd behavior at the wedding reception?
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 explaining
Infographic explaining Euclid's survey ESA The original image was captured in black and white, but color was added using observations from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope located in Hawaii.
—
CBS News,
24 June 2026
The original is a minor Harding work, Bacon said, explaining why judges might not have recognized Allan’s submission as a re-creation.
—
News Desk,
Artforum,
24 June 2026
During periods of disruption, leaders naturally search for familiar patterns capable of explaining unfamiliar developments.
—
Michael Edmondson,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
After playing a series of news clips explaining that the new coating in the pool is now peeling off.
—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
23 June 2026
In the end, local organizers pushed back on FIFA, explaining the cost of covering up every individual seat in a unionized building would be beyond reasonable, particularly when FIFA do not have an insurance partner on their slate of sponsors.
—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
The job of Fed chair involves making decisions, some of them hard ones, and explaining them to interested parties, including the President.
—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
23 June 2026
Larry Ferazani, General Counsel of the NFL Management Council, penned a letter to Sorsby explaining the league’s decision.
—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2026
Elena witnessed the argument and tried explaining to Moshe their concerns about previous squatters in the building.
—
Olivia Bensimon,
Curbed,
17 June 2026
CBS News,
24 June 2026
The original is a minor Harding work, Bacon said, explaining why judges might not have recognized Allan’s submission as a re-creation.
—
News Desk,
Artforum,
24 June 2026
During periods of disruption, leaders naturally search for familiar patterns capable of explaining unfamiliar developments.
—
Michael Edmondson,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
After playing a series of news clips explaining that the new coating in the pool is now peeling off.
—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
23 June 2026
In the end, local organizers pushed back on FIFA, explaining the cost of covering up every individual seat in a unionized building would be beyond reasonable, particularly when FIFA do not have an insurance partner on their slate of sponsors.
—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
23 June 2026
The job of Fed chair involves making decisions, some of them hard ones, and explaining them to interested parties, including the President.
—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
23 June 2026
Larry Ferazani, General Counsel of the NFL Management Council, penned a letter to Sorsby explaining the league’s decision.
—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2026
Elena witnessed the argument and tried explaining to Moshe their concerns about previous squatters in the building.
—
Olivia Bensimon,
Curbed,
17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explaining
Verb
-
German courts are clarifying a gray area in the 2024 cannabis reform regarding the legal status of cannabis cuttings.
-
After Micah’s birth, Lauryn posted a statement on X clarifying that Rohan was not her newborn's father.
Verb
-
The article emphasizes that effective communication of difficult decisions requires not only clear explanation but also genuine empathy for how people feel, rather than merely justifying actions.
-
And yet at the start of the Mass, a priest read aloud a statement justifying the consecrations as a necessary defense of the faith and criticizing how the Catholic Church today had deviated from tradition.
Verb
-
The rain and the plumbing disasters and the reservation-system crises and Richie’s inability to cancel anyone’s dinner all come right on top of one another, illustrating how frightening and overwhelming the day has become.
-
While investors concentrate on NVIDIA's staggering growth rate, an even more revealing figure resides in its supply commitments, illustrating a calculated strategy to satisfy demand that skeptics argue may not be viable.
Verb
-
As the show began to wrap up, Goldberg aimed to try to tie in the book, asking Vance about rationalizing his Catholic faith with a hard-line stance on immigration.
-
Instead of obsessively over-rationalizing or avoiding, try making friends with that feeling.
Verb
-
To prevail in a habeas petition, Maxwell would need to show that serious constitutional violations occurred during her trial or sentencing, or that significant new evidence has emerged demonstrating her innocence.
-
The couple spent their weekend at the Royal Castle of Ciergnon, demonstrating the close relationship between the Japanese and Belgian royal families.
Verb
-
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro is expected to see a significant price increase, with CEO Tim Cook attributing it to inflationary pressures on memory and storage components.
-
The pair divorced in 2023, with Vergara later attributing the split to differing views on having children, which Manganiello disputed.
Verb
-
Tribalists and traditionalists have controlled the terms of the battle, one by simplifying, the other by denying, the way privilege has shaped our compound selves.
-
Modern engineering leadership is about simplifying the system by reducing friction, increasing accountability and leveraging AI to help teams move faster without compromising quality or reliability.
Verb
-
The authors recommended that the US government and its commercial and international partners establish benchmarks for interpreting hostile behavior in space.
-
Those two truths are core to our mission of researching, collecting, preserving, and interpreting Black art, history, and culture.
Cite this Entry
“Explaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explaining. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
