as in explains
to make plain or understandable
the dating applicant spelled out exactly what she wanted in a man
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Recent Examples of spells out
Xi spells out yuan reserve currency goal China’s leader called for the yuan to become a global reserve currency, part of Beijing’s efforts to play a larger role in international financial systems.
—
semafor.com, 3 Feb. 2026
City Council President Linda Barnes-Caldwell, D-5th, authored the ordinance, expected to be approved Tuesday, that spells out the funding framework for the project.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
On its website, the IRS spells out the new deduction amounts available at different income levels.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
An extreme cold watch in Iowa spells out the dangerous conditions for the days ahead.
—Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register, 21 Jan. 2026
An episode featuring Brody’s real-life wife Leighton Meester tries to fill in some backstory blanks, as does an episode that spells out how Joanne’s parents’ divorce impacted her.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Texas law spells out when the state can step in if a school district struggles for too long to meet academic or leadership standards.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2025
The mammoth defense bill spells out Pentagon policy in the months and years ahead.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 13 Oct. 2025
But a chat message from Washington to a colleague, released to KUOW and ProPublica last week through a public records request, spells out additional reasons for turning down Daugaard’s proposal.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
semafor.com, 3 Feb. 2026
City Council President Linda Barnes-Caldwell, D-5th, authored the ordinance, expected to be approved Tuesday, that spells out the funding framework for the project.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
On its website, the IRS spells out the new deduction amounts available at different income levels.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
An extreme cold watch in Iowa spells out the dangerous conditions for the days ahead.
—Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register, 21 Jan. 2026
An episode featuring Brody’s real-life wife Leighton Meester tries to fill in some backstory blanks, as does an episode that spells out how Joanne’s parents’ divorce impacted her.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Texas law spells out when the state can step in if a school district struggles for too long to meet academic or leadership standards.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2025
The mammoth defense bill spells out Pentagon policy in the months and years ahead.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 13 Oct. 2025
But a chat message from Washington to a colleague, released to KUOW and ProPublica last week through a public records request, spells out additional reasons for turning down Daugaard’s proposal.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spells out
Verb
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Harvard Professor Carla Martin explains how cacao transformed from a sacred drink into a Valentine’s Day staple — and how history, marketing and chemistry helped give chocolate its emotional power.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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Athletes are tested for substances as part of the Monitoring Program during regular doping checks in order to gather data on usage, Fitzgerald explains.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The situation illustrates how decades after the devastating 1990s wars in the former Yugoslavia, the region lags behind the rest of Europe both economically and with regard to environmental protection.—
Eldar Emric,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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Altman’s frustration perfectly illustrates how AI companies have driven themselves into a corner.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At the video's end, the man clarifies that the cold-blooded iguanas are not dead, but rather in brumation — reptiles' version of hibernation.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
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The bill amends the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection Act and the Medical Cannabis Regulation Act, harmonizes tax and enforcement provisions, and clarifies how cannabis will be treated across state codes.—
Alonzo Martinez,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Many ideas that were rejected in the past receive new life upon a surprising new observation; many ideas that are accepted today will be overthrown when a key experimental result demonstrates its insufficiency.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
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Securing the supply chain for these demonstrates Terra Innovatum’s manufacturing and deployment readiness.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spells out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spells%20out. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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