as in explained
to make plain or understandable
the dating applicant spelled out exactly what she wanted in a man
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Recent Examples of spelled out
These powers spelled out in the motion brought by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis will be incorporated into an ordinance that will come back to the board in 30 days for a vote.
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Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026
Her wardrobe functioned as parallel messaging to her husband's politics, subtly reinforcing sustainability, attention to craft, and a respect for small, independent designers without needing to be spelled out.
—Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 5 Jan. 2026
The Congressional Budget Office, for example, releases multiple projection scenarios with each of its reports based on different assumptions that are spelled out.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
For now, there’s no plan spelled out to have American troops or administrators in Venezuela.
—Catherine Lucey, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026
Likewise, sheee-it was written into his first The Wire script, with the extra e’s spelled out.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Leaders at big carmakers spelled out their worries in the latest round of earnings calls, saying that finding a replacement for Nexperia at scale in the short term will be difficult.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
This work captures the essence of live entertainment by intertwining flames, light and music spelled out in marquee-style letters that float across the canal.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 5 Nov. 2025
In RenBio’s case, the researchers spelled out the instructions to make a GLP-1 receptor agonist protein — essentially the same active ingredient in medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro — and looped it into a small circle called a plasmid.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spelled out
Verb
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In an interview with Interesting Engineering, UEL researcher Daehyun Kim explained that SCARABS focuses on exploration reliability rather than experimental payloads.—
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Night vision goggles worn by the pilot and hoist operator give a tube of vision, explained Atkins.—
Verb
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The same, meanwhile, is not the case in film, where animation is faring well, as illustrated in the latest box office figures, which were released yesterday.—
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Separate high-level meetings in East Asia illustrated the tricky balancing act for longtime US allies seeking to insulate themselves from an increasingly unpredictable White House.—
Verb
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Researchers have demonstrated that consumer-grade 3D printers and inexpensive materials can produce advanced optical components capable of super-resolution imaging.—
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Martha Stewart has demonstrated in the past that dark-wash jeans are so elegant.—
Verb
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For some of the victims’ families, the interviews clarified how and why the crimes unfolded, filling in gaps that police files and court records never fully answered after years of unresolved questions.—
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Another rum-forward favorite worth seeking out at El Bembé is the white marble cocktail, made with white Don Q rum, crème de cacao, St-Germain liqueur, and clarified Greek yogurt.—
Verb
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Legal experts say the safest approach is to keep your distance, follow lawful orders, and avoid actions that could be interpreted as obstruction.—
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While Harries could have interpreted the move as a nostalgic nod to the tour, more cryptic clues soon followed.—
Verb
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Designed to work seamlessly with the company’s own hardware while remaining broadly compatible, the R1 glasses bring high refresh rates and simplified connectivity to the growing AR gaming space.—
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The if-then paradigm needs to be simplified.—
Cite this Entry
“Spelled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spelled%20out. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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