Definition of explain in English:

explain

verb ɛkˈspleɪnɪkˈspleɪnɪkˈspleɪn

1reporting verb Make (an idea or situation) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts.
with clause they explained that their lives centred on the religious rituals
with direct speech ‘It's a device of great age,’ the professor explained
with object he explained the situation
Example sentencesExamples
- Call the company, explain the situation and give an estimate of the time you will arrive.
- We have not been explaining the facts to teachers, our customers and the customers of the future.
- Pete goes on to explain in detail exactly how to achieve all this for consistent accuracy.
- They are to send a joint letter to all schools and colleges this week explaining the situation.
- After explaining his legal position, we asked her the reason for detention.
- She explained she had no idea how the tree got into her brother's garden.
- Her mother has written to him explaining the situation but has not heard back.
- He liked to do mathematics on his feet, often prancing while he explained his thoughts.
- As the feature on this page explains, this idea is a runner, if not an odds-on certainty.
- This goes some way to explaining the idea that works of art have to do with truth.
- In fact, explains Greene, the best way to seduce someone is to fall in love with them.
- All the agencies have Chinese signs explaining the concept of the minimum wage law.
- I kind of lost my taste for the science fiction show when they started explaining everything.
- Mr Blake said he was handing out 3,000 manifesto leaflets explaining his policies.
- It explains in detail why he came to Scotland and how the factory was born.
- Also, I find explaining and describing things helps get my thoughts in order.
- Helpfully, a letter turned up this morning explaining the entire process to me.
- My wife will then have to explain the situation to another helpful city employee.
- I explained this idea to the people I met this week, and most said they would be keen.
- One might expect that Marx would go on to explain in some detail what communism would be like.
Synonyms
describe, give an explanation of, make clear/plain/intelligible, spell out, put into words, express in words
elucidate, expound, explicate, delineate
clarify, unfold, throw light on, clear up, simplify
gloss, interpret, decipher, decode, translate
demonstrate, show, teach, illustrate
unravel, untangle, resolve, solve
informal get across, get over
1. 1.1 Give a reason so as to justify or excuse (an action or event)
  with object Cassie found it necessary to explain her blackened eye
  with clause he makes athletes explain why they made a mistake
  no object I explained about Maureen calling round
  Example sentencesExamples
  He should be explaining his reasons for his decision in the House of Assembly today.
  Cole grinned and went on to explain about the different types of magic users that there were.
  Here supporters of the Socialist Party have to be honest in explaining the recent defeat.
  In his autobiography, he explains in detail why it did not become a worldwide business.
  In an exclusive interview with company chairman, he explains his reasons for the switch.
  If only he had been injured it might have explained his appalling performance.
  Quite why it took so long for the village to mark this achievement isn't explained on the plaque.
  In our family, we have always sat down and talked and tried to explain why you need to vote.
  Already Labour is explaining the defeat as purely a consequence of the low turn-out.
  It involves setting up a website describing yourself and explaining why you need money.
  I was writing a note to Pip's Mum to explain about our disappearance and put it on her desk.
  So to explain these events it is necessary to examine the entire geological record.
  One of the reasons I am drawn towards this theory is because it explains many of the injustices of life.
  The advent of this seemingly blessed type can partly be explained by the modern economy.
  His curious logic in explaining his reasons for this is beyond my wit I am afraid.
  Thus it does not seem possible to explain the price increase in terms of demand factors.
  What explains this curious death of an idea once favoured by the men at the top of their two parties?
  A real comparison on an equal level would go a long way in explaining this crisis.
  The bus was on time and its route correct, so how do we explain this unnecessary event?
  Another reason to explain the popularity of the leather look is its affordability.
  Synonyms
  account for, give an explanation for, give a reason for
  justify, give a justification for, give an excuse/alibi/apologia for, make excuses for, explain away, rationalize, give a rationale for
  defend, vindicate, legitimize, mitigate
  rare extenuate
2. 1.2with object Be the cause of or motivating factor for.
  her father's violence explains her pacifism
  with clause this would explain why so many adult children still live with their parents
  Example sentencesExamples
  Abe also admitted that many professional players complained about the course's difficulty which explained why there were no golfers managing to score under par.
  He had studied at Oxford and was a Rhodes Scholar, which explained why he spoke such beautiful English.
  This explains their preference for politicians who want to cut taxes (even though this means fewer public services).
  His preoccupation with solitude also explains why Tsai's films are often very nearly free of dialogue.
  His mother's heritage more than explained his strength and agility.
  Thirdly, he submitted that Mr Perry invited the jury to reason that Robert Kerr's psychiatric condition explained his alleged conduct.
  What explains this astonishing mobilisation of voter emotion, particularly in affluent white suburbs?
  Their adventurous and inquisitive nature explains their fascination with the ancient beauty and splendor of Egypt.
  He was also English, which explained his sometimes weird language, my favourite word being "gads".
3. 1.3explain something away Minimize the significance of an embarrassing fact or action by giving an excuse or justification.
  they know stories about me that I can't explain away
  Example sentencesExamples
  He must have explained it away somehow, because soon enough, her arm was back in his.
  I have to believe Mom had her suspicions, even though I explained it away by saying I'd backed into the stuff while changing into my bathing suit.
  He humbly explained it away as being his first gig as an accompanist and that he didn't really know what he was doing.
  Some of that shortfall can be explained away by a booming economy, growing employment and a falling social security burden.
  In the wider scenario, a lot of the apparent financial imbalance in the statistics will be explained away by the inequity between men's and women's salaries.
  The lawyer explained the fact away with a sentimental appeal to basic recording industry generosity and kindness.
  Abstractness and generality, however, also allow a wide berth of hedging since any contradictions or challenges can be explained away as exceptions.
  Recent weather phenomena can be explained away as cyclical, or as manifestations of climate change.
  The size of the demonstration could be explained away by the fact that most of the major political parties, from left to right, have come out in opposition to the war.
  Had she challenged the official on each lie, he could have explained them away.
  For those who know him, his ingrained indecisiveness serves as a signature to his every act; and to the uninitiated, it is explained away as cautiousness and age-inspired prudence.
  I eventually explained it away as ‘witchcraft’ because it was all too baffling for her.
  It only has to fit a basic description, and even some plainly wrong things can be explained away as Deja Vu or other such weird mind tricks.
  Yet in his speech tomorrow he will defend his judgment rather than seek to explain it away as a temporary lapse which was never intended to be aired in public.
  There is no way of explaining it away or justifying it.
  Remember this wily character is going to be good at hiding the problems, great at explaining them away if you point them out, and a genius at demonstrating why it is in fact your fault!
  So if the facts don't suit there is always a theory to explain them away!
  He later explained this position away by saying that he did not endorse vigilante action against the author, but would rather want the verdict to be carried out by a proper court.
  However most of these positive correlations were explained away by the fact that people of higher socioeconomic status are in general more likely users of print media.
  They should not minimize, rationalize, or explain the bullying away.

Phrases

explain oneself

1Expand on what one has said in order to make oneself clear.
Example sentencesExamples
- I didn't explain myself very well in one paragraph, so I expanded on what I meant.
- We give our clients cards detailing their condition so that if they have trouble explaining themselves, they can then show that person the card and hopefully they will be a little more considerate.
- It is clear that despite our best endeavours to explain ourselves, a number of people think that the bank tightened monetary policy to cool down the property market.
- It had no caption or explanation following it, yet the pictures were not clear enough to explain themselves.
- When it was clear that the patient could explain himself perfectly well, the doctor asked the relative to wait outside in the corridor.
- Many of them had a hard time developing clear arguments, explaining themselves fully, and understanding their own situation.
- He jumped from one subject to another without explaining himself but he was perfectly clear… eventually.
- Her appeal had been upheld on the basis that a judge had failed to use clear enough language to explain himself.
- I have a lot more detailed information to this case but I would need to speak to someone person to person and have time to explain myself more clearly.
- It's so hard to get out everything I want to say and to be clear and have the time to explain myself, and to create a kind of intimacy with an audience.
1. 1.1Excuse or justify one's motives or conduct.
  he was too panicked to stay and explain himself to the policeman
  Example sentencesExamples
  He is barely embarrassed - he explains himself without being defensive.
  If I explain myself to clear these rumors, my life will never be normal again.
  If you think it is justified, how will you explain yourself to those whose rights are being curtailed?
  If the Prime Minister refused to explain himself over the war, his conduct would be judged at the ballot box, he added.
  My students feel they want to explain themselves and justify their ordinariness.
  Workers should be given an opportunity to explain themselves at a properly conducted meeting before decisions are made.
  There are several reasons why it is necessary for an appellate court to ensure that the lawyer whose conduct is challenged has an opportunity to explain himself.
  I don't feel all that bad about the hours they spend explaining themselves to the police.
  Youths can lay out the motives behind their choices and actions and explain themselves - if not to the people of this world, then to the ‘higher powers’ of gods and spirits.
  She wanted to explain herself, to clear her name.

Derivatives

explainable

adjective ɛkˈspleɪnəb(ə)lɪkˈspleɪnəb(ə)lɪkˈspleɪnəb(ə)l

For no explainable reason, a good deal of the original music has been either altered or removed altogether.
Example sentencesExamples
- When I don't understand a magic trick I set out to reveal its explanation because it doesn't fit my theory of the universe as a logical and explainable place.
- The implication of this claim is that since the ‘golden rule’ is a universally held belief, it must be explainable by purely naturalistic processes.
- This happened for explainable medical reasons, but it became part of her legend.
- The report concludes that all sightings were explainable by natural events, such as the weather or meteors, or were of normal aircraft.

Origin

Late Middle English: from Latin explanare, based on planus 'plain'.

The words explain and explanation both date from late Middle English and their source is Latin explanare, based on planus ‘plain’. Early senses included ‘smooth out’ and ‘spread out flat’. In the early 16th century it came to mean ‘give details of (a matter)’, and later ‘make intelligible by clarification’.

Rhymes

abstain, appertain, arcane, arraign, ascertain, attain, Bahrain, bane, blain, brain, Braine, Cain, Caine, campaign, cane, cinquain, chain, champagne, champaign, Champlain, Charmaine, chicane, chow mein, cocaine, Coleraine, Coltrane, complain, constrain, contain, crane, Dane, deign, demesne, demi-mondaine, detain, disdain, domain, domaine, drain, Duane, Dwane, Elaine, entertain, entrain, fain, fane, feign, gain, Germaine, germane, grain, humane, Hussein, inane, Jain, Jane, Jermaine, Kane, La Fontaine, lain, lane, legerdemain, Lorraine, main, Maine, maintain, mane, mise en scène, Montaigne, moraine, mundane, obtain, ordain, Paine, pane, pertain, plain, plane, Port-of-Spain, profane, rain, Raine, refrain, reign, rein, retain, romaine, sane, Seine, Shane, Sinn Fein, skein, slain, Spain, Spillane, sprain, stain, strain, sustain, swain, terrain, thane, train, twain, Ujjain, Ukraine, underlain, urbane, vain, vane, vein, Verlaine, vicereine, wain, wane, Wayne

Definition of explain in US English:

explain

verbikˈsplānɪkˈspleɪn

1reporting verb Make (an idea, situation, or problem) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts or ideas.
with clause they explained that their lives centered on the religious rituals
with object he explained the situation
with direct speech “my daddy has spells,” Ben explained
Example sentencesExamples
- Also, I find explaining and describing things helps get my thoughts in order.
- One might expect that Marx would go on to explain in some detail what communism would be like.
- Pete goes on to explain in detail exactly how to achieve all this for consistent accuracy.
- He liked to do mathematics on his feet, often prancing while he explained his thoughts.
- My wife will then have to explain the situation to another helpful city employee.
- All the agencies have Chinese signs explaining the concept of the minimum wage law.
- Call the company, explain the situation and give an estimate of the time you will arrive.
- We have not been explaining the facts to teachers, our customers and the customers of the future.
- In fact, explains Greene, the best way to seduce someone is to fall in love with them.
- Mr Blake said he was handing out 3,000 manifesto leaflets explaining his policies.
- Helpfully, a letter turned up this morning explaining the entire process to me.
- Her mother has written to him explaining the situation but has not heard back.
- As the feature on this page explains, this idea is a runner, if not an odds-on certainty.
- After explaining his legal position, we asked her the reason for detention.
- This goes some way to explaining the idea that works of art have to do with truth.
- She explained she had no idea how the tree got into her brother's garden.
- I kind of lost my taste for the science fiction show when they started explaining everything.
- It explains in detail why he came to Scotland and how the factory was born.
- I explained this idea to the people I met this week, and most said they would be keen.
- They are to send a joint letter to all schools and colleges this week explaining the situation.
Synonyms
describe, give an explanation of, make clear, make intelligible, make plain, spell out, put into words, express in words
1. 1.1 Account for (an action or event) by giving a reason as excuse or justification.
  with object Callie found it necessary to explain her blackened eye
  with clause he makes athletes explain why they made a mistake
  no object she had tried to explain about Adam, hadn't she?
  Example sentencesExamples
  So to explain these events it is necessary to examine the entire geological record.
  One of the reasons I am drawn towards this theory is because it explains many of the injustices of life.
  In our family, we have always sat down and talked and tried to explain why you need to vote.
  The bus was on time and its route correct, so how do we explain this unnecessary event?
  Here supporters of the Socialist Party have to be honest in explaining the recent defeat.
  I was writing a note to Pip's Mum to explain about our disappearance and put it on her desk.
  It involves setting up a website describing yourself and explaining why you need money.
  In his autobiography, he explains in detail why it did not become a worldwide business.
  A real comparison on an equal level would go a long way in explaining this crisis.
  Cole grinned and went on to explain about the different types of magic users that there were.
  Thus it does not seem possible to explain the price increase in terms of demand factors.
  Quite why it took so long for the village to mark this achievement isn't explained on the plaque.
  If only he had been injured it might have explained his appalling performance.
  Another reason to explain the popularity of the leather look is its affordability.
  In an exclusive interview with company chairman, he explains his reasons for the switch.
  Already Labour is explaining the defeat as purely a consequence of the low turn-out.
  The advent of this seemingly blessed type can partly be explained by the modern economy.
  He should be explaining his reasons for his decision in the House of Assembly today.
  His curious logic in explaining his reasons for this is beyond my wit I am afraid.
  What explains this curious death of an idea once favoured by the men at the top of their two parties?
  Synonyms
  account for, give an explanation for, give a reason for
2. 1.2with object Be the cause of or motivating factor for.
  her father's violence explains her pacificism
  with clause this would explain why so many adult children still live with their parents
  Example sentencesExamples
  What explains this astonishing mobilisation of voter emotion, particularly in affluent white suburbs?
  His preoccupation with solitude also explains why Tsai's films are often very nearly free of dialogue.
  This explains their preference for politicians who want to cut taxes (even though this means fewer public services).
  His mother's heritage more than explained his strength and agility.
  He was also English, which explained his sometimes weird language, my favourite word being "gads".
  He had studied at Oxford and was a Rhodes Scholar, which explained why he spoke such beautiful English.
  Thirdly, he submitted that Mr Perry invited the jury to reason that Robert Kerr's psychiatric condition explained his alleged conduct.
  Their adventurous and inquisitive nature explains their fascination with the ancient beauty and splendor of Egypt.
  Abe also admitted that many professional players complained about the course's difficulty which explained why there were no golfers managing to score under par.
3. 1.3explain something away Minimize the significance of an embarrassing fact or action by giving an excuse or justification.
  they know stories about me that I can't explain away
  Example sentencesExamples
  Had she challenged the official on each lie, he could have explained them away.
  He later explained this position away by saying that he did not endorse vigilante action against the author, but would rather want the verdict to be carried out by a proper court.
  I have to believe Mom had her suspicions, even though I explained it away by saying I'd backed into the stuff while changing into my bathing suit.
  In the wider scenario, a lot of the apparent financial imbalance in the statistics will be explained away by the inequity between men's and women's salaries.
  However most of these positive correlations were explained away by the fact that people of higher socioeconomic status are in general more likely users of print media.
  Yet in his speech tomorrow he will defend his judgment rather than seek to explain it away as a temporary lapse which was never intended to be aired in public.
  He humbly explained it away as being his first gig as an accompanist and that he didn't really know what he was doing.
  The lawyer explained the fact away with a sentimental appeal to basic recording industry generosity and kindness.
  I eventually explained it away as ‘witchcraft’ because it was all too baffling for her.
  Remember this wily character is going to be good at hiding the problems, great at explaining them away if you point them out, and a genius at demonstrating why it is in fact your fault!
  It only has to fit a basic description, and even some plainly wrong things can be explained away as Deja Vu or other such weird mind tricks.
  They should not minimize, rationalize, or explain the bullying away.
  For those who know him, his ingrained indecisiveness serves as a signature to his every act; and to the uninitiated, it is explained away as cautiousness and age-inspired prudence.
  He must have explained it away somehow, because soon enough, her arm was back in his.
  Recent weather phenomena can be explained away as cyclical, or as manifestations of climate change.
  There is no way of explaining it away or justifying it.
  The size of the demonstration could be explained away by the fact that most of the major political parties, from left to right, have come out in opposition to the war.
  Some of that shortfall can be explained away by a booming economy, growing employment and a falling social security burden.
  Abstractness and generality, however, also allow a wide berth of hedging since any contradictions or challenges can be explained away as exceptions.
  So if the facts don't suit there is always a theory to explain them away!

Phrases

explain oneself

1Expand on what one has said in order to make one's meaning clear.
Example sentencesExamples
- I have a lot more detailed information to this case but I would need to speak to someone person to person and have time to explain myself more clearly.
- He jumped from one subject to another without explaining himself but he was perfectly clear… eventually.
- When it was clear that the patient could explain himself perfectly well, the doctor asked the relative to wait outside in the corridor.
- It is clear that despite our best endeavours to explain ourselves, a number of people think that the bank tightened monetary policy to cool down the property market.
- Her appeal had been upheld on the basis that a judge had failed to use clear enough language to explain himself.
- Many of them had a hard time developing clear arguments, explaining themselves fully, and understanding their own situation.
- We give our clients cards detailing their condition so that if they have trouble explaining themselves, they can then show that person the card and hopefully they will be a little more considerate.
- It's so hard to get out everything I want to say and to be clear and have the time to explain myself, and to create a kind of intimacy with an audience.
- I didn't explain myself very well in one paragraph, so I expanded on what I meant.
- It had no caption or explanation following it, yet the pictures were not clear enough to explain themselves.
1. 1.1Give an account of one's motives or conduct in order to excuse or justify oneself.
  he was too panicked to stay and explain himself to the policeman
  Example sentencesExamples
  If I explain myself to clear these rumors, my life will never be normal again.
  She wanted to explain herself, to clear her name.
  If the Prime Minister refused to explain himself over the war, his conduct would be judged at the ballot box, he added.
  I don't feel all that bad about the hours they spend explaining themselves to the police.
  If you think it is justified, how will you explain yourself to those whose rights are being curtailed?
  Youths can lay out the motives behind their choices and actions and explain themselves - if not to the people of this world, then to the ‘higher powers’ of gods and spirits.
  There are several reasons why it is necessary for an appellate court to ensure that the lawyer whose conduct is challenged has an opportunity to explain himself.
  He is barely embarrassed - he explains himself without being defensive.
  Workers should be given an opportunity to explain themselves at a properly conducted meeting before decisions are made.
  My students feel they want to explain themselves and justify their ordinariness.

Origin

Late Middle English: from Latin explanare, based on planus ‘plain’.

单词	explain
释义	Definition of explain in English: explain verb ɛkˈspleɪnɪkˈspleɪnɪkˈspleɪn 1reporting verb Make (an idea or situation) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts. with clause they explained that their lives centred on the religious rituals with direct speech ‘It's a device of great age,’ the professor explained with object he explained the situation Example sentencesExamples Call the company, explain the situation and give an estimate of the time you will arrive. We have not been explaining the facts to teachers, our customers and the customers of the future. Pete goes on to explain in detail exactly how to achieve all this for consistent accuracy. They are to send a joint letter to all schools and colleges this week explaining the situation. After explaining his legal position, we asked her the reason for detention. She explained she had no idea how the tree got into her brother's garden. Her mother has written to him explaining the situation but has not heard back. He liked to do mathematics on his feet, often prancing while he explained his thoughts. As the feature on this page explains, this idea is a runner, if not an odds-on certainty. This goes some way to explaining the idea that works of art have to do with truth. In fact, explains Greene, the best way to seduce someone is to fall in love with them. All the agencies have Chinese signs explaining the concept of the minimum wage law. I kind of lost my taste for the science fiction show when they started explaining everything. Mr Blake said he was handing out 3,000 manifesto leaflets explaining his policies. It explains in detail why he came to Scotland and how the factory was born. Also, I find explaining and describing things helps get my thoughts in order. Helpfully, a letter turned up this morning explaining the entire process to me. My wife will then have to explain the situation to another helpful city employee. I explained this idea to the people I met this week, and most said they would be keen. One might expect that Marx would go on to explain in some detail what communism would be like. Synonyms describe, give an explanation of, make clear/plain/intelligible, spell out, put into words, express in words elucidate, expound, explicate, delineate clarify, unfold, throw light on, clear up, simplify gloss, interpret, decipher, decode, translate demonstrate, show, teach, illustrate unravel, untangle, resolve, solve informal get across, get over 1.1 Give a reason so as to justify or excuse (an action or event) with object Cassie found it necessary to explain her blackened eye with clause he makes athletes explain why they made a mistake no object I explained about Maureen calling round Example sentencesExamples He should be explaining his reasons for his decision in the House of Assembly today. Cole grinned and went on to explain about the different types of magic users that there were. Here supporters of the Socialist Party have to be honest in explaining the recent defeat. In his autobiography, he explains in detail why it did not become a worldwide business. In an exclusive interview with company chairman, he explains his reasons for the switch. If only he had been injured it might have explained his appalling performance. Quite why it took so long for the village to mark this achievement isn't explained on the plaque. In our family, we have always sat down and talked and tried to explain why you need to vote. Already Labour is explaining the defeat as purely a consequence of the low turn-out. It involves setting up a website describing yourself and explaining why you need money. I was writing a note to Pip's Mum to explain about our disappearance and put it on her desk. So to explain these events it is necessary to examine the entire geological record. One of the reasons I am drawn towards this theory is because it explains many of the injustices of life. The advent of this seemingly blessed type can partly be explained by the modern economy. His curious logic in explaining his reasons for this is beyond my wit I am afraid. Thus it does not seem possible to explain the price increase in terms of demand factors. What explains this curious death of an idea once favoured by the men at the top of their two parties? A real comparison on an equal level would go a long way in explaining this crisis. The bus was on time and its route correct, so how do we explain this unnecessary event? Another reason to explain the popularity of the leather look is its affordability. Synonyms account for, give an explanation for, give a reason for justify, give a justification for, give an excuse/alibi/apologia for, make excuses for, explain away, rationalize, give a rationale for defend, vindicate, legitimize, mitigate rare extenuate 1.2with object Be the cause of or motivating factor for. her father's violence explains her pacifism with clause this would explain why so many adult children still live with their parents Example sentencesExamples Abe also admitted that many professional players complained about the course's difficulty which explained why there were no golfers managing to score under par. He had studied at Oxford and was a Rhodes Scholar, which explained why he spoke such beautiful English. This explains their preference for politicians who want to cut taxes (even though this means fewer public services). His preoccupation with solitude also explains why Tsai's films are often very nearly free of dialogue. His mother's heritage more than explained his strength and agility. Thirdly, he submitted that Mr Perry invited the jury to reason that Robert Kerr's psychiatric condition explained his alleged conduct. What explains this astonishing mobilisation of voter emotion, particularly in affluent white suburbs? Their adventurous and inquisitive nature explains their fascination with the ancient beauty and splendor of Egypt. He was also English, which explained his sometimes weird language, my favourite word being "gads". 1.3explain something away Minimize the significance of an embarrassing fact or action by giving an excuse or justification. they know stories about me that I can't explain away Example sentencesExamples He must have explained it away somehow, because soon enough, her arm was back in his. I have to believe Mom had her suspicions, even though I explained it away by saying I'd backed into the stuff while changing into my bathing suit. He humbly explained it away as being his first gig as an accompanist and that he didn't really know what he was doing. Some of that shortfall can be explained away by a booming economy, growing employment and a falling social security burden. In the wider scenario, a lot of the apparent financial imbalance in the statistics will be explained away by the inequity between men's and women's salaries. The lawyer explained the fact away with a sentimental appeal to basic recording industry generosity and kindness. Abstractness and generality, however, also allow a wide berth of hedging since any contradictions or challenges can be explained away as exceptions. Recent weather phenomena can be explained away as cyclical, or as manifestations of climate change. The size of the demonstration could be explained away by the fact that most of the major political parties, from left to right, have come out in opposition to the war. Had she challenged the official on each lie, he could have explained them away. For those who know him, his ingrained indecisiveness serves as a signature to his every act; and to the uninitiated, it is explained away as cautiousness and age-inspired prudence. I eventually explained it away as ‘witchcraft’ because it was all too baffling for her. It only has to fit a basic description, and even some plainly wrong things can be explained away as Deja Vu or other such weird mind tricks. Yet in his speech tomorrow he will defend his judgment rather than seek to explain it away as a temporary lapse which was never intended to be aired in public. There is no way of explaining it away or justifying it. Remember this wily character is going to be good at hiding the problems, great at explaining them away if you point them out, and a genius at demonstrating why it is in fact your fault! So if the facts don't suit there is always a theory to explain them away! He later explained this position away by saying that he did not endorse vigilante action against the author, but would rather want the verdict to be carried out by a proper court. However most of these positive correlations were explained away by the fact that people of higher socioeconomic status are in general more likely users of print media. They should not minimize, rationalize, or explain the bullying away. Phrases explain oneself 1Expand on what one has said in order to make oneself clear. Example sentencesExamples I didn't explain myself very well in one paragraph, so I expanded on what I meant. We give our clients cards detailing their condition so that if they have trouble explaining themselves, they can then show that person the card and hopefully they will be a little more considerate. It is clear that despite our best endeavours to explain ourselves, a number of people think that the bank tightened monetary policy to cool down the property market. It had no caption or explanation following it, yet the pictures were not clear enough to explain themselves. When it was clear that the patient could explain himself perfectly well, the doctor asked the relative to wait outside in the corridor. Many of them had a hard time developing clear arguments, explaining themselves fully, and understanding their own situation. He jumped from one subject to another without explaining himself but he was perfectly clear… eventually. Her appeal had been upheld on the basis that a judge had failed to use clear enough language to explain himself. I have a lot more detailed information to this case but I would need to speak to someone person to person and have time to explain myself more clearly. It's so hard to get out everything I want to say and to be clear and have the time to explain myself, and to create a kind of intimacy with an audience. 1.1Excuse or justify one's motives or conduct. he was too panicked to stay and explain himself to the policeman Example sentencesExamples He is barely embarrassed - he explains himself without being defensive. If I explain myself to clear these rumors, my life will never be normal again. If you think it is justified, how will you explain yourself to those whose rights are being curtailed? If the Prime Minister refused to explain himself over the war, his conduct would be judged at the ballot box, he added. My students feel they want to explain themselves and justify their ordinariness. Workers should be given an opportunity to explain themselves at a properly conducted meeting before decisions are made. There are several reasons why it is necessary for an appellate court to ensure that the lawyer whose conduct is challenged has an opportunity to explain himself. I don't feel all that bad about the hours they spend explaining themselves to the police. Youths can lay out the motives behind their choices and actions and explain themselves - if not to the people of this world, then to the ‘higher powers’ of gods and spirits. She wanted to explain herself, to clear her name. Derivatives explainable adjective ɛkˈspleɪnəb(ə)lɪkˈspleɪnəb(ə)lɪkˈspleɪnəb(ə)l For no explainable reason, a good deal of the original music has been either altered or removed altogether. Example sentencesExamples When I don't understand a magic trick I set out to reveal its explanation because it doesn't fit my theory of the universe as a logical and explainable place. The implication of this claim is that since the ‘golden rule’ is a universally held belief, it must be explainable by purely naturalistic processes. This happened for explainable medical reasons, but it became part of her legend. The report concludes that all sightings were explainable by natural events, such as the weather or meteors, or were of normal aircraft. Origin Late Middle English: from Latin explanare, based on planus 'plain'. The words explain and explanation both date from late Middle English and their source is Latin explanare, based on planus ‘plain’. Early senses included ‘smooth out’ and ‘spread out flat’. In the early 16th century it came to mean ‘give details of (a matter)’, and later ‘make intelligible by clarification’. Rhymes abstain, appertain, arcane, arraign, ascertain, attain, Bahrain, bane, blain, brain, Braine, Cain, Caine, campaign, cane, cinquain, chain, champagne, champaign, Champlain, Charmaine, chicane, chow mein, cocaine, Coleraine, Coltrane, complain, constrain, contain, crane, Dane, deign, demesne, demi-mondaine, detain, disdain, domain, domaine, drain, Duane, Dwane, Elaine, entertain, entrain, fain, fane, feign, gain, Germaine, germane, grain, humane, Hussein, inane, Jain, Jane, Jermaine, Kane, La Fontaine, lain, lane, legerdemain, Lorraine, main, Maine, maintain, mane, mise en scène, Montaigne, moraine, mundane, obtain, ordain, Paine, pane, pertain, plain, plane, Port-of-Spain, profane, rain, Raine, refrain, reign, rein, retain, romaine, sane, Seine, Shane, Sinn Fein, skein, slain, Spain, Spillane, sprain, stain, strain, sustain, swain, terrain, thane, train, twain, Ujjain, Ukraine, underlain, urbane, vain, vane, vein, Verlaine, vicereine, wain, wane, Wayne verb.1 phr. Definition of explain in US English: explain verbikˈsplānɪkˈspleɪn 1reporting verb Make (an idea, situation, or problem) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts or ideas. with clause they explained that their lives centered on the religious rituals with object he explained the situation with direct speech “my daddy has spells,” Ben explained Example sentencesExamples Also, I find explaining and describing things helps get my thoughts in order. One might expect that Marx would go on to explain in some detail what communism would be like. Pete goes on to explain in detail exactly how to achieve all this for consistent accuracy. He liked to do mathematics on his feet, often prancing while he explained his thoughts. My wife will then have to explain the situation to another helpful city employee. All the agencies have Chinese signs explaining the concept of the minimum wage law. Call the company, explain the situation and give an estimate of the time you will arrive. We have not been explaining the facts to teachers, our customers and the customers of the future. In fact, explains Greene, the best way to seduce someone is to fall in love with them. Mr Blake said he was handing out 3,000 manifesto leaflets explaining his policies. Helpfully, a letter turned up this morning explaining the entire process to me. Her mother has written to him explaining the situation but has not heard back. As the feature on this page explains, this idea is a runner, if not an odds-on certainty. After explaining his legal position, we asked her the reason for detention. This goes some way to explaining the idea that works of art have to do with truth. She explained she had no idea how the tree got into her brother's garden. I kind of lost my taste for the science fiction show when they started explaining everything. It explains in detail why he came to Scotland and how the factory was born. I explained this idea to the people I met this week, and most said they would be keen. They are to send a joint letter to all schools and colleges this week explaining the situation. Synonyms describe, give an explanation of, make clear, make intelligible, make plain, spell out, put into words, express in words 1.1 Account for (an action or event) by giving a reason as excuse or justification. with object Callie found it necessary to explain her blackened eye with clause he makes athletes explain why they made a mistake no object she had tried to explain about Adam, hadn't she? Example sentencesExamples So to explain these events it is necessary to examine the entire geological record. One of the reasons I am drawn towards this theory is because it explains many of the injustices of life. In our family, we have always sat down and talked and tried to explain why you need to vote. The bus was on time and its route correct, so how do we explain this unnecessary event? Here supporters of the Socialist Party have to be honest in explaining the recent defeat. I was writing a note to Pip's Mum to explain about our disappearance and put it on her desk. It involves setting up a website describing yourself and explaining why you need money. In his autobiography, he explains in detail why it did not become a worldwide business. A real comparison on an equal level would go a long way in explaining this crisis. Cole grinned and went on to explain about the different types of magic users that there were. Thus it does not seem possible to explain the price increase in terms of demand factors. Quite why it took so long for the village to mark this achievement isn't explained on the plaque. If only he had been injured it might have explained his appalling performance. Another reason to explain the popularity of the leather look is its affordability. In an exclusive interview with company chairman, he explains his reasons for the switch. Already Labour is explaining the defeat as purely a consequence of the low turn-out. The advent of this seemingly blessed type can partly be explained by the modern economy. He should be explaining his reasons for his decision in the House of Assembly today. His curious logic in explaining his reasons for this is beyond my wit I am afraid. What explains this curious death of an idea once favoured by the men at the top of their two parties? Synonyms account for, give an explanation for, give a reason for 1.2with object Be the cause of or motivating factor for. her father's violence explains her pacificism with clause this would explain why so many adult children still live with their parents Example sentencesExamples What explains this astonishing mobilisation of voter emotion, particularly in affluent white suburbs? His preoccupation with solitude also explains why Tsai's films are often very nearly free of dialogue. This explains their preference for politicians who want to cut taxes (even though this means fewer public services). His mother's heritage more than explained his strength and agility. He was also English, which explained his sometimes weird language, my favourite word being "gads". He had studied at Oxford and was a Rhodes Scholar, which explained why he spoke such beautiful English. Thirdly, he submitted that Mr Perry invited the jury to reason that Robert Kerr's psychiatric condition explained his alleged conduct. Their adventurous and inquisitive nature explains their fascination with the ancient beauty and splendor of Egypt. Abe also admitted that many professional players complained about the course's difficulty which explained why there were no golfers managing to score under par. 1.3explain something away Minimize the significance of an embarrassing fact or action by giving an excuse or justification. they know stories about me that I can't explain away Example sentencesExamples Had she challenged the official on each lie, he could have explained them away. He later explained this position away by saying that he did not endorse vigilante action against the author, but would rather want the verdict to be carried out by a proper court. I have to believe Mom had her suspicions, even though I explained it away by saying I'd backed into the stuff while changing into my bathing suit. In the wider scenario, a lot of the apparent financial imbalance in the statistics will be explained away by the inequity between men's and women's salaries. However most of these positive correlations were explained away by the fact that people of higher socioeconomic status are in general more likely users of print media. Yet in his speech tomorrow he will defend his judgment rather than seek to explain it away as a temporary lapse which was never intended to be aired in public. He humbly explained it away as being his first gig as an accompanist and that he didn't really know what he was doing. The lawyer explained the fact away with a sentimental appeal to basic recording industry generosity and kindness. I eventually explained it away as ‘witchcraft’ because it was all too baffling for her. Remember this wily character is going to be good at hiding the problems, great at explaining them away if you point them out, and a genius at demonstrating why it is in fact your fault! It only has to fit a basic description, and even some plainly wrong things can be explained away as Deja Vu or other such weird mind tricks. They should not minimize, rationalize, or explain the bullying away. For those who know him, his ingrained indecisiveness serves as a signature to his every act; and to the uninitiated, it is explained away as cautiousness and age-inspired prudence. He must have explained it away somehow, because soon enough, her arm was back in his. Recent weather phenomena can be explained away as cyclical, or as manifestations of climate change. There is no way of explaining it away or justifying it. The size of the demonstration could be explained away by the fact that most of the major political parties, from left to right, have come out in opposition to the war. Some of that shortfall can be explained away by a booming economy, growing employment and a falling social security burden. Abstractness and generality, however, also allow a wide berth of hedging since any contradictions or challenges can be explained away as exceptions. So if the facts don't suit there is always a theory to explain them away! Phrases explain oneself 1Expand on what one has said in order to make one's meaning clear. Example sentencesExamples I have a lot more detailed information to this case but I would need to speak to someone person to person and have time to explain myself more clearly. He jumped from one subject to another without explaining himself but he was perfectly clear… eventually. When it was clear that the patient could explain himself perfectly well, the doctor asked the relative to wait outside in the corridor. It is clear that despite our best endeavours to explain ourselves, a number of people think that the bank tightened monetary policy to cool down the property market. Her appeal had been upheld on the basis that a judge had failed to use clear enough language to explain himself. Many of them had a hard time developing clear arguments, explaining themselves fully, and understanding their own situation. We give our clients cards detailing their condition so that if they have trouble explaining themselves, they can then show that person the card and hopefully they will be a little more considerate. It's so hard to get out everything I want to say and to be clear and have the time to explain myself, and to create a kind of intimacy with an audience. I didn't explain myself very well in one paragraph, so I expanded on what I meant. It had no caption or explanation following it, yet the pictures were not clear enough to explain themselves. 1.1Give an account of one's motives or conduct in order to excuse or justify oneself. he was too panicked to stay and explain himself to the policeman Example sentencesExamples If I explain myself to clear these rumors, my life will never be normal again. She wanted to explain herself, to clear her name. If the Prime Minister refused to explain himself over the war, his conduct would be judged at the ballot box, he added. I don't feel all that bad about the hours they spend explaining themselves to the police. If you think it is justified, how will you explain yourself to those whose rights are being curtailed? Youths can lay out the motives behind their choices and actions and explain themselves - if not to the people of this world, then to the ‘higher powers’ of gods and spirits. There are several reasons why it is necessary for an appellate court to ensure that the lawyer whose conduct is challenged has an opportunity to explain himself. He is barely embarrassed - he explains himself without being defensive. Workers should be given an opportunity to explain themselves at a properly conducted meeting before decisions are made. My students feel they want to explain themselves and justify their ordinariness. Origin Late Middle English: from Latin explanare, based on planus ‘plain’. verb.1 phr.
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