spell out
Britishverb
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to make clear, distinct, or explicit; clarify in detail
let me spell out the implications
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to read laboriously or with difficulty, working out each word letter by letter
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to discern by study; puzzle out
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Make plain, clarify, as in We asked her to spell out her objectives . [c. 1940]
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Read slowly and laboriously, as in He was only six but he managed to spell out the instructions . [Early 1800s]
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Puzzle out, manage to understand with some effort, as in It took years before anyone could spell out the inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone . [Late 1600s] All three usages transfer spell in the sense of “proceed letter by letter.”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The main opposition Conservative Party said any help was welcome but called on Burnham to spell out how he planned to pay for the measure, due to come into force in April 2027.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
In the center of the wall, just behind the coach’s desk, white block letters spell out “Why Not” above a script “U.S.,” which, despite the periods, is meant to be read as “us.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
The long promised Defence Investment Plan, which is meant to spell out how the Ministry of Defence will pay for what it needs, was due in the autumn of last year.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
The general tone of the film is anticlimactic, but Thomas and Duke are on trajectories that spell out “tragedy” in furnace smoke across a northern English sky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Why is this something I have to spell out for her?
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.