explain

ex·plain

 (ĭk-splān′)

v. ex·plained, ex·plain·ing, ex·plains

v.tr.

1. To make plain or comprehensible.

2. To define; expound: We explained our plan to the committee.

3.

a. To offer reasons for or a cause of; justify: explain an error.

b. To offer reasons for the actions, beliefs, or remarks of (oneself).

v.intr.

To make something plain or comprehensible: Let me explain.

Phrasal Verb:

explain away

To dismiss or minimize the significance of (something) by means of an explanation or excuse: There is no way to explain away my carelessness.

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[Middle English explanen, from Latin explānāre : ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + plānus, clear; see pelə- in Indo-European roots.]

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ex·plain′a·ble adj.

Synonyms: explain, elucidate, explicate, interpret, construe
These verbs mean to make the nature or meaning of something understandable. Explain is the most widely applicable: The professor used a diagram to explain the theory of continental drift. The manual explained how the new software worked. To elucidate is to throw light on something complex: "Man's whole life and environment have been laid open and elucidated" (Thomas Carlyle).
Explicate implies detailed and usually learned and lengthy exploration or analysis: "Ordinary language philosophers tried to explicate the standards of usage" (Jerrold J. Katz).
To interpret is to reveal the underlying meaning of something by the application of special knowledge or insight: "A radiologist can interpret images made in Saudi Arabia and beamed to Boston, sending back a diagnosis within hours" (Richard Saltus).
Construe involves putting a particular construction or interpretation on something: "I take the official oath today ... with no purpose to construe the Constitution or laws by any hypercritical rules" (Abraham Lincoln).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

explain

(ɪkˈspleɪn)

vb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to make (something) comprehensible, esp by giving a clear and detailed account of the relevant structure, operation, surrounding circumstances, etc

2. (tr) to justify or attempt to justify (oneself) by giving reasons for one's actions or words

[C15: from Latin explānāre to flatten, from plānus level]

exˈplainable adj

exˈplainer n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ex•plain

(ɪkˈspleɪn)

v.t.

1. to make clear or intelligible.

2. to make known in detail.

3. to make clear the cause or reason of; account for: I cannot explain his strange behavior.

v.i.

4. to give an explanation.

5. explain away, to diminish the significance of through explanation; justify.

[1375–1425; < Latin explānāre to smooth out, make intelligible. See ex-¹, plane²]

ex•plain′a•ble, adj.

ex•plain′er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

explain

If you explain something, you give details about it so that it can be understood.

The head teacher should be able to explain the school's teaching policy.

You say that you explain something to someone.

Let me explain to you about Jackie.

We explained everything to the police.

Be Careful!
You must use to in sentences like these. Don't say, for example, 'Let me explain you about Jackie'.

You can use explain with a that-clause to say that someone tells someone else the reason for something.

I explained that I was trying to write a book.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

explain

Past participle: explained
Gerund: explaining

Imperative

explain

explain

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	explain - make plain and comprehensible; "He explained the laws of physics to his students" explicate inform - impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to; "I informed him of his rights" rede, interpret - give an interpretation or explanation to account for - give reasons for; "Can you account for all these absences?" naturalize - explain with reference to nature clarify, clear up, elucidate - make clear and (more) comprehensible; "clarify the mystery surrounding her death" comment - explain or interpret something
	2.	explain - define; "The committee explained their plan for fund-raising to the Dean" say, state, tell - express in words; "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name"
	3.	explain - serve as a reason or cause or justification of; "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again" excuse alibi - exonerate by means of an alibi vindicate, justify - show to be right by providing justification or proof; "vindicate a claim"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

explain

verb

1. make clear or plain, describe, demonstrate, illustrate, teach, define, solve, resolve, interpret, disclose, unfold, clarify, clear up, simplify, expound, elucidate, put into words, throw light on, explicate (formal), give the details of He explained the process to us in simple terms.

2. account for, excuse, justify, give a reason for, give an explanation for Can you explain why you didn't telephone me?

Quotations
"Never explain - your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway" [Elbert Hubbard The Motto Book]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

explain

verb

1. To make understandable:

construe, decipher, explicate, expound, interpret, spell out.

Archaic: enucleate.

Idiom: put into plain English.

2. To find a solution for:

clear up, decipher, resolve, solve, unravel.

Informal: dope out, figure out.

Idiom: get to the bottom of.

3. To offer reasons for or a cause of:

account for, justify, rationalize.

phrasal verb
explain away

To conceal or make light of a fault or offense:

extenuate, gloss over, gloze (over), palliate, sleek over, whitewash.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

شرحشَرَح، فَسَّريَشْرَحُيُفَسِّر، يُعْطي السَّبب

explicar

vysvětlit

forklarebegrunde

erklärenerläutern

εξηγώ

explicarexponerjustificaraclarardefender

selittää

expliquer

objasniti

gefa skÿringu áútskÿra

spiegarespiegazionecommentaredelucidaredichiarare

説明する

설명하다

aiškinamasis

izskaidrotpaskaidrot

uitleggenverklaren

begrunnefinne årsak tilforklaregjøre rede forklarlegge

objaśnićwyjaśnić

explicarexplicar-seexplanar

explica

объяснятьобъяснитьтолковать

pojasniti

förklara

อธิบาย

açıklamak

пояснити

giải thích

解释说明

explain

[ɪksˈpleɪn]

A. VT (= make clear) [+ meaning, problem] → explicar; [+ plan] → explicar, exponer; [+ mystery] → explicar, aclarar; (= account for) [+ conduct] → explicar, justificar
I explained it to him → se lo expliqué
that explains it → eso lo explica, con eso queda todo aclarado
to explain o.s (clearly) → explicarse; (morally) → justificarse, defenderse
kindly explain yourself! → ¡explíquese Vd!

B. VI will you call him and explain? → ¿le llamas tú y se lo explicas?
I tried to explain, but → intenté explicárselo, pero ...

explain away VT + ADV → dar explicaciones (convincentes) de, justificar; (= excuse) → disculpar
try and explain that away! → ¡a ver cómo justificas eso!

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

explain

[ɪkˈspleɪn] vt → expliquer
to explain why → expliquer pourquoi
to explain how → expliquer comment
to explain sth to sb → expliquer qch à qn
to explain that ... → expliquer que ...

explain away

vt [+ mistake, failure, evidence] → trouver de bonnes explications à

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

explain

vt → erklären (to sb jdm); motives, situation, thoughts → erläutern, erklären; mystery → aufklären; it’s all right, I can explain everything → schon gut, ich kann das alles erklären; that is easy to explain, that is easily explained → das lässt sich leicht erklären; he wanted to see me but wouldn’t explain why → er wollte mich sehen, sagte aber nicht, warum or aus welchem Grunde; so that explains why he didn’t react → ach, das erklärt, warum er nicht reagiert hat

vr (= justify) → sich rechtfertigen; he’d better explain himself → ich hoffe, er kann das erklären; I think you’d better start explaining yourself → was hast du zu deiner Entschuldigung zu sagen?; explain yourself! → was soll das?, kannst du das erklären?

vi → es erklären; please explain → bitte erklären Sie das; I think you’ve got some explaining to do → ich glaube, Sie müssen da einiges erklären

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

explain

[ɪksˈpleɪn] vt (gen) → spiegare; (mystery) → chiarire
to explain o.s. → spiegarsi

explain away vt → cercare di dare una motivazione a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

explain

(ikˈsplein) verb

1. to make (something) clear or easy to understand. Can you explain the railway timetable to me?; Did she explain why she was late? verduidelik شَرَح، فَسَّر обяснявам explicar vysvětlit erklären, erläutern forklare εξηγώexplicar selgitama توضیح دادن selittää expliquer לְהַבהִיר समझाना objasniti, razjasniti (meg)magyaráz menjelaskan útskÿra spiegare 説明する 설명하다 paaiškinti paskaidrot jelas uitleggenforklare, gjøre rede for wyjaśniać توضيع وركول explicar a explica, a lămuri объяснять vysvetliť pojasniti objasniti förklara อธิบาย açıklamak 說明 пояснювати واضح کرنا ، سمجھانا giải thích 说明

2. to give, or be, a reason for. I cannot explain his failure; That explains his silence. verklaar يُفَسِّر، يُعْطي السَّبب обяснявам explicar vysvětlit erklären forklare; begrunde εξηγώ, ερμηνεύωexplicar seletama توجیه کردن perustella expliquer לְהַסבִּיר सफाई देना, कारण बताना objasniti indokol menjelaskan gefa skÿringu á spiegare 理由を述べる …을 명확히 밝히다 paaiškinti izskaidrot menjelaskan verklarenklarlegge, begrunne, finne årsak tilwytłumaczyć وجه وركول explicar a expli­ca, a justifica объяснять vysvetliť razložiti objasniti förklara ชี้แจง açıklamak 解釋 пояснювати کسی چیز کا سبب بتانا giải thích 解释

explanation (ekspləˈneiʃən) noun

1. the act or process of explaining. Let me give a few words of explanation. verduideliking شَرْح، تَفْسير обяснение explicação vysvětlení die Erklärung forklaring; redegørelse εξήγησηexplicación selgitus توضیح selitys explicationהסבר व्याख्या objašnjavanje magyarázat penjelasan (út)skÿring spiegazione 説明 설명 paaiškinimas paskaidrojums penjelasan uitlegforklaring, utgreiingwyjaśnienie توضيع explicação explicaţie разъяснение vysvetlenie pojasnjevanje objašnjenje förklaring การอธิบาย açıklama 說明 пояснення وضاحت sự giảng giải 说明

2. a statement or fact that explains. There are several possible explanations for the explosion. verklaring تَفْسير، تَعْليل обяснение explicação vysvětlení die Erklärung forklaring; begrundelse εξήγηση, ερμηνείαexplicación seletus شرح؛ دلیل perustelu explicationהסבר विवरण, बयान objašnjenje értelmezés penjelasan (út)skÿring spiegazione 原因 진상, 이유 paaiškinimas izskaidrojums penjelasan verklaringårsak, forklaringwyjaśnienie توضيع explicação explicaţie объяснение vysvetlenie pojasnilo objašnjenje förklaring คำอธิบาย açıklama 解釋 пояснення توضيحی بیان lời giải thích 解释

exˈplanatory (-ˈsplӕnə-) adjective

giving an explanation. There are explanatory notes in this book. verklarend تَفْسيري، إيضاحي обяснителен explicativo vysvětlující erklärend forklarende επεξηγηματικός explicativo selgitav توضیحی selittävä explicatif מְבָאֵר व्याख्यात्मक koji tumači, razjašnjava (meg)magyarázó menjelaskan skÿringar- esplicativo 説明の 설명을 위한 aiškinamasis []skaidrojošs catatan keterangan verklarendforklarende objaśniający توضيحى explicativo explicativ пояснительный vysvetľujúci pojasnjevalen koji objašnjava förklarande ซึ่งชี้แจง açıklayıcı 解釋的 пояснювальний; тлумачний توضیحی mang tính giải thích 解释的

explain away

to get rid of (difficulties etc) by clever explaining. She could not explain away the missing money. goedpraat, wegredeneer يَجِد التفسير давам задоволително обяснение dar uma explicação (dostatečně) vysvětlit vertuschen bortforklare δικαιολογώ dar explicaciones õigustust leidma توجیه کردن antaa selitys justifier לְהָסִיר סָפֶק व्याख्या द्वारा समझाना objasniti, razjasniti kimagyaráz (vmit) memberi alasan gera efasemdir/ótta að engu með útskÿringum spiegare, giustificare 言い抜ける (의혹 따위를) 잘 설명하여 풀다 pagrįsti, paaiškinti attaisnot menjelaskan wegredeneren bortforklareusprawiedliwić, wyjaśnić سببول dar uma explicação a justifica находить объяснение (uspokojivo) vysvetliť upravičiti opravdati bortförklara ขจัดความสงสัยโดยการอธิบาย açıklama yaparak sıyrılmak 自圓其說 виправдовувати(ся) کسی غلطی کی اہمیت کو گھٹا کر رفت گزشت کرنے کے لۓ توضيح کرنا thanh minh 巧辩过去

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

explain

→ يَشْرَحُ vysvětlit forklare erklären εξηγώ explicar selittää expliquer objasniti spiegare 説明する 설명하다 uitleggen forklare wyjaśnić explicar, explicar-se объяснять förklara อธิบาย açıklamak giải thích 解释

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

explain

vt. explicar, aclarar;

___ the procedure → explique el procedimiento.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

• Can you explain what the matter is? → هَلْ يـُمْكِنُ أَنْ تَشْرَحَ لِي ما الَّذي بِي؟ → Můžete mi vysvětlit, oč jde? → Kan De forklare hvad problemet er? → Können sie mir erklären, was mir fehlt? → Μπορείτε να μου εξηγήσετε τι συμβαίνει; → ¿Puede explicarme cuál es el problema? → Voitteko selittää, mikä on vialla? → Vous pouvez m'expliquer ce qu'il se passe ? → Možete li objasniti u čemu je problem? → Mi può spiegare di cosa si tratta? → 何が問題か説明してもらえますか？ → 무엇이 문제인지 설명해 주시겠어요? → Kunt u me uitleggen wat er aan de hand is? → Kan du forklare hva som er i veien? → Proszę mi wyjaśnić co się dzieje → O senhor pode explicar qual é o problema? → Вы можете объяснить, в чем дело? → Kan ni förklara vad det är för fel? → คุณอธิบายได้ไหมว่าเกิดอะไรขึ้น? → Sorunum nedir söyler misiniz? → Bạn có thể giải thích xem vấn đề là gì không? → 能告诉我是什么病吗？

Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009