explanation

noun

ex·​pla·​na·​tion ˌek-splə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce explanation (audio)
Synonyms of explanation
1
: the act or process of explaining
declined without any explanation
The company offered little by way of explanation for the problems. [=as a way of explaining why there were problems]
2
: something that explains
The professor's explanation was that the poem was really a parody.

Synonyms of explanation

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of explanation in a Sentence

The professor's explanation was that the poem is really a parody. an explanation of photosynthesis that most museum visitors will be able to understand
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
That explanation didn't appear to sit well with Bennett, however, who pointed out that the Constitution specifically tasks Congress with jurisdiction over how states administer their elections and not the Judiciary. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026 Fernandes points out the prevalence of tactical voting — when voters abandon their preferred candidate for one with a better chance of winning or defeating a rival — as an explanation for the first-round surprise in early October. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026 Nieder’s leading explanation is that nearly every biological process runs faster in birds than in mammals. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026 To find out which explanation fits, Boschini and his colleagues used a laser to temporarily disrupt superconductivity in a copper-oxide crystal while the material remained relatively cold. — Sven Badoux, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for explanation

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of explanation was in the 14th century

Rhymes for explanation

See All Rhymes for explanation

Browse Nearby Words

explanate
explanation
explanative
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Explanation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explanation. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

explanation

noun
ex·​pla·​na·​tion ˌek-splə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce explanation (audio)
1
: the act or process of explaining
2
: a statement that makes something clear
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All