as in to explain
to make plain or understandable
the dating applicant spelled out exactly what she wanted in a man
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Recent Examples of spell out
Specifically, carapaces spelling out 8647, which is either shell-speak for evil intent or a bartender telling Patel to 86 his personal booze and buy a drink already.
—
Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2026
The family ties, spelled out in public records, raise more questions about the already improbable scenario of winning the lottery time and time again, watchdogs say.
—Kairi Lowery, Miami Herald, 8 May 2026
In an interview earlier this week, UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma spelled out the bottom line.
—Eddie Pells, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
In the second lab, the DNA is frozen until scientists make millions of copies so genetic sequencers can spell out all three billion letters of the embryo's genetic sequence.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spell out
Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2026
The family ties, spelled out in public records, raise more questions about the already improbable scenario of winning the lottery time and time again, watchdogs say.
—Kairi Lowery, Miami Herald, 8 May 2026
In an interview earlier this week, UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma spelled out the bottom line.
—Eddie Pells, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
In the second lab, the DNA is frozen until scientists make millions of copies so genetic sequencers can spell out all three billion letters of the embryo's genetic sequence.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spell out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spell out
Verb
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Vrabel, meanwhile, stumbled though multiple press conferences while trying to both avoid and explain the issue without ever really providing details.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
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This may explain why credit markets barely budged after last week’s spending figures.—
Alaa Shahine Salha,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Sometimes the decision is obvious, necessitated by the availability of gravitational slingshots from planets, as illustrated by the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 missions.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
19 May 2026
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First, a dating story that illustrates this dynamic.—
Greg Rosalsky,
NPR,
19 May 2026
Verb
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The next step is finding a place to meet in the middle and clarify what’s unsaid or unclear on both sides.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
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Check the facts, ask one clarifying question, and let real information settle your nervous system.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Malo Gusto is athletically capable of being the Frimpong at Chelsea, but has not demonstrated the same level of aptitude in front of goal.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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The United States has already demonstrated this with export controls on advanced chips, restricting which nations can develop certain AI capabilities.—
David Liberman,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spell out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spell%20out. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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