explain

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɛkˈspleɪn/, /ɪkˈspleɪn/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

Verb

Plain form explain

Third-person singular explains

Past tense explained

Past participle explained

Present participle explaining

1. (transitive & intransitive) If you explain something, you talk about it so that somebody can understand it.

   Can you explain the difference between the two?

   He explained the difference between the two.

   Explaining my thoughts on the topic was useless.

Synonyms

• ask
• clarify

Antonyms

• complicate

Related words

• unexplained
• explanation
• explanatory