spells out

verb

present tense third-person singular of spell out
as in explains
to make plain or understandable the dating applicant spelled out exactly what she wanted in a man

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spells out Election law, for example, spells out the circumstances under which ballots can be examined, even during a criminal prosecution. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Carlson also spells out a distinction the 90-10 case rather takes for granted. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 The film spells out the gargantuan payouts that each Boeing CEO has received, despite the crashes and questions about their actions and the company’s faltering value. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026 There are special allowances for vehicles at least 100 years old, believe it or not, but as this AutoWeek explainer from 2024 spells out, good luck trying to ship a ’60s Mustang across the world to drive it on their streets. — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 5 Aug. 2026 Confirm which pests are covered, what the cancellation terms are, and whether the service agreement spells out what’s included and excluded. — Jay Sparks, USA Today, 15 July 2026 As the name spells out, CeraViva Edible Melting Candles are … well …. — Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2026 The deal also spells out that any footage generated by AI will be under a director’s control. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 26 June 2026 The agreement says the US will issue waivers allowing Iran to export oil and spells out provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, among other measures. — Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spells out
  1. explains
  2. illustrates
  3. clarifies
  4. demonstrates
Verb
  • Here, The Athletic explains who York is, his background and his relationship to Leeds.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The album, Cole explains, became as much about the support surrounding heartbreak as heartbreak itself.
    — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of explains
Verb
  • The episode illustrates a less visible part of keeping older military aircraft flying.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • That, Manuel says, illustrates the class divide that has been so ingrained in the Philippines.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of illustrates
Verb
  • As Rankine clarifies in Triage, the pain of this moment is not exclusive to Black Americans.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The first clarifies that its PLX product does not provide law enforcement agencies with geolocation data, and the second says that the company has reached out to the complaint's authors to ask that the complaint against Penlink be withdrawn.
    — Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of clarifies
Verb
  • IonQ’s partnership with Sandia National Laboratories also demonstrates its increasing national-security relevance.
    — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The research also demonstrates the JWST is more than capable of studying the dispersal of gas and dust around individual infant stars.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of demonstrates

Browse Nearby Words

spells
spells out
spence
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spells out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spells%20out. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All