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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spell out
The city charter spells out that city lobbyists may only lobby lawmakers on items with official city approval, said Brynn Hausz, the city’s intergovernmental relations director, on Friday.
—
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 15 Sep. 2025
Riverkeeper spells out a delay in producing records The complaint lays out a timeline that states in February a member of the organization reached out to Racine Mayor Cory Mason to access documents related to water usage involving the Microsoft development.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The 10-hour shift proposal is part of a bigger agreement between the FOP and the City of Indianapolis that spells out a timeline on what's to be expected with the shift change in the next few years.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 14 Sep. 2025
In the days afterwards, Howe held individual meetings with every player, spelling out some harsh realities and what was expected of them.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spell out
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 15 Sep. 2025
Riverkeeper spells out a delay in producing records The complaint lays out a timeline that states in February a member of the organization reached out to Racine Mayor Cory Mason to access documents related to water usage involving the Microsoft development.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The 10-hour shift proposal is part of a bigger agreement between the FOP and the City of Indianapolis that spells out a timeline on what's to be expected with the shift change in the next few years.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 14 Sep. 2025
In the days afterwards, Howe held individual meetings with every player, spelling out some harsh realities and what was expected of them.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spell out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spell out
Verb
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Here, Renzi explains how long the doc was in the works, why family members didn’t participate, and how Marco of all people helped Sheen to get off crack.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
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At a time when contentious words dominate our conversations—think insurrection and fascism and fake news and woke—the need for dictionaries to chronicle and explain language, and serve as its watchdog, has never been greater.—
Stefan Fatsis,
The Atlantic,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Texas case clearly illustrates what is at stake.—
Lila Rose,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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In areas where water availability is limited, competing demands, such as agriculture or community needs, may be constrained, illustrating how AI’s resource footprint can intersect with broader development challenges.—
Michaela Rychetska,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At the time, palace officials clarified that no rules had been broken, noting that guests are often encouraged to lead during troop reviews.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Because what should have been a chance to clarify his current business moves or offer some perspective on his legacy spiraled into name-calling, interruptions, and accusations.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The exhibit showcases promotional materials that demonstrate the film’s global impact.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Equally notable, the system moved seamlessly from low- to high-energy states on its own, demonstrating that its automatic adjustment isn’t just theory but a working feature.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spell out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spell%20out. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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