third-person singular verb
A person or thing explains an idea, fact, or situation by giving information about it.
The teacher explains the lesson very clearly.
The book explains how to fix common household problems.
American English
How to pronounce explains
verbA2Very common word
ihksPLAYNZ
/ɪksˈpʰleɪnz/
2 syllables · Stress the second syllable.
Form of explain
A person or thing explains an idea, fact, or situation by giving information about it.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
third-person singular verb
A person or thing explains something by giving a reason for it or for what happened.
He always explains his reasons for being late.
The report explains why the project failed.
Useful expressions
to give reasons for what you did or said
You broke the window—explain yourself!