Make plain and comprehensible:
— He explained the laws of physics to his students.

synonym: explicate.

Roget 462: answer, respond, reply, rebut, retort, rejoin; give for answer, return for answer; acknowledge, echo.    explain etc. (interpret) 522; solve etc. (unriddle) 522; discover etc. 480.1; fathom, hunt out etc. (inquire) 461; satisfy, set at rest, determine.    ... show more

Roget 522: interpret, explain, define, construe, translate, render; do into, turn into; transfuse the sense of.    find out etc. 480.1 the meaning of, etc. 516 read; spell out, make out; decipher, unravel, disentangle; find the key of, enucleate, resolve, solve; read between the lines.    account for; find the cause, tell the cause of etc. 153; throw light upon, shed light upon, shed new light upon, shed fresh light upon; clear up, clarify, elucidate.    illustrate, exemplify; unfold, expound, comment upon, annotate; popularize etc. (render intelligible) 518.    take in a particular sense, understand in a particular sense, receive in a particular sense, accept in a particular sense; understand by, put a construction on, be given to understand.    ... show more

Roget 527: tell; inform, inform of; acquaint, acquaint with; impart, impart to; make acquaintance with, apprise, advise, enlighten, awaken; transmit.    let fall, mention, express, intimate, represent, communicate, make known; publish etc. 531; notify, signify, specify, convey the knowledge of.    let one know, have one to know; give one to understand; give notice; set before, lay before, put before; point out, put into one's head; put one in possession of; instruct etc. (teach) 537; direct the attention to etc. 457.    announce, annunciate; report, report progress; bringword^†, send word, leave word, write word; telegraph, telephone; wire; retail, render an account; give an account etc. (describe) 594; state etc. (affirm) 535.    [disclose inadvertently or reluctantly] let slip, blurt out, spill the beans, unburden oneself of, let off one's chest; disclose etc. 529.    show cause; explain etc. (interpret) 522.    hint; given an inkling of; give a hint, drop a hint, throw out a hint; insinuate; allude to, make allusion to; glance at; tip the wink etc. (indicate) 550; suggest, prompt, give the cue, breathe; whisper, whisper in the ear.    give a bit of one's mind; tell one plainly, tell once for all; speak volumes.    undeceive^†, unbeguile^†; set right, correct, open the eyes of, disabuse, disillusion one of.    be informed of &c.; know etc. 490; learn etc. 539; get scent of, get wind of, gather from; awaken to, open one's eyes to; become alive, become awake to; hear, overhear, understand.    come to one's ears, come to one's knowledge; reach one's ears.    ... show more

Roget 82: conform to, conform to rule; accommodate oneself to, adapt oneself to; rub off corners.    be regular etc. adj.; move in a groove; follow observe the rules, go by the rules, bend to the rules, obey the rules, obey the precedents; comply with, tally with, chime in with, fall in with; be guided by, be regulated by; fall into a custom, fall into a usage; follow the fashion, follow the crowd, follow the multitude; pass muster, do as others do, hurler avec les loups [Fr.]; stand on ceremony; when in Rome do as the Romans do; go with the stream, go with the flow, swim with the stream, swim with the current, swim with the tide, blow with the wind; stick to the beaten track etc. (habit) 613; keep one in countenance.    exemplify, illustrate, cite, quote, quote precedent, quote authority, appeal to authority, put a case; produce an instance etc. n.; elucidate, explain.    ... show more

Dutch: verklaren, expliceren, expliqueren, ontvouwen, uitleggen

Define.

Serve as a reason or cause or justification of:
— Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again.

synonym: excuse.

Dutch: verklaren, uitleggen