explain implies a making plain or intelligible what is not immediately obvious or entirely known.
explain the rules
expound implies a careful often elaborate explanation.
expounding a scientific theory
explicate adds the idea of a developed or detailed analysis.
explicate a poem
elucidate stresses the throwing of light upon as by offering details or motives previously unclear or only implicit.
elucidate an obscure passage
interpret adds to explain the need for imagination or sympathy or special knowledge in dealing with something.
interpreting a work of art
Example Sentences
I need a lawyer to explain this contract to me. The professor explained the poem to the class. She explained how the machine worked. I explained to them that I would be available by phone. Scientists could not explain the strange lights in the sky. I don't know how to explain the dog's strange behavior. We asked him to explain his reasons to us. Can you explain why no one was informed earlier? That explains why we were so far behind schedule. Give me a chance to explain. See More
Recent Examples on the WebKindergarten enrollments dropped to levels not seen since the 2000s, and public kindergartens lost 340,000 students from 2019 to 2020—a number that declining birth rates likely contributed to but cannot alone explain. Keija Parssinen, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2022 Sean McDonnell reports the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio directed NOPEC to show cause and explain why its certificate to do business should not be revoked by Sept. 28. Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2022 The veteran elections official wanted to walk through how voting apparatuses are operated, broadly explain security and answer any questions from her neighbors about the process. Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 8 Sep. 2022 Visitors can walk through much of the workspace, where staff members are on hand to demonstrate and explain the weaving, knitting, lasering, tufting and embroidery techniques employed today. Diane Daniel, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2022 The new legislation is intended to clarify the process, better define what constitutes a qualifying act of violence, and explain what steps a property owner can take to keep a place from being declared a public nuisance. George Chidi, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2022 So if anatomy doesn’t explain why pain turns chronic, what does? Haider Warraich, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2022 According to Frank, Peters then asked a person in charge of training staff members on signature verification to come in and explain how the process works. Sue Halpern, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2022 So the loss or reintroduction of a predator can trigger cascading effects throughout the ecosystem, and Zanette says that killing alone doesn’t explain all those effects. Sam Zlotnik, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English explanen, from Latin explanare, literally, to make level, from ex- + planus level, flat — more at floor