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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

spell it out en · VERB

Meanings

  1. (intransitive) To provide a simple and understandable explanation.
    • I'm sorry but I can't spell it out for you, because the whole issue is not that simple.
  2. (intransitive) To be explicit, to provide even the obvious details.
    • This marriage is over, do I have to spell it out?
    • Let me spell it out for you: you are not welcome here.
    • The reading public may have difficulty getting past Jones's editorializing. As an example, at one point in the book, Jones declared that […] If the reader has been following Jones's book at all, s/he should be able to pick up that point without having Jones spell it out so blatantly. 1980 December 13, Pat M. Kuras, “Giving The Reasons Why Some Women Kill”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 21, page 15:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
spelled it out Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
spelled it out Tense=Past lexicographic
spelt it out Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part UK lexicographic
spelt it out Tense=Past UK lexicographic
spells it out Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
spelling it out Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Synonyms

spell things out · explicate (provide explanation) · rub it in (be explicit) · explain (provide explanation)