spell\ out

spell\ out
v
1. To say or read aloud the letters or a word, one by one; spell.

John could not understand the word the teacher was saying, so she spelled it out on the blackboard.

2. To read slowly, have trouble in understanding.

The little boy spelled out the printed words.

3. informal To explain something in very simple words; explain very clearly.

The class could not understand the problem, so the teacher spelled it out for them.

Before the game the coach spelled out to the players what he wanted them to do.

Compare: words of one syllable

Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • spell out — (something) to explain something in detail. Students have been given a fact sheet that spells out how AIDS is transferred. The company has a very strict dress code, and they spell it out for you when you start working there …   New idioms dictionary

  • spell out — [v] clarify, explain break down, brief, clear up, clue in, decipher, decode, define, describe, diagram, draw a map*, expound, fill someone in*, get across*, go into detail, illustrate, interpret, justify, make plain*, point out, put across, put… …   New thesaurus

  • spell out — index clarify, comment, define, describe, elucidate, enlighten, explain, explicate, exposit …   Law dictionary

  • spell out — verb 1. make explicit; specify in detail (Freq. 8) You should spell out your demands • Hypernyms: ↑specify, ↑particularize, ↑particularise, ↑specialize, ↑specialise • …   Useful english dictionary

  • spell out — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms spell out : present tense I/you/we/they spell out he/she/it spells out present participle spelling out past tense spelt out or spelled out past participle spelt out or spelled out 1) informal to say or explain …   English dictionary

  • spell out — 1) PHRASAL VERB If you spell something out, you explain it in detail or in a very clear way. [V P n (not pron)] Be assertive and spell out exactly how you feel... [V n P] How many times do I have to spell it out? 2) see spell 1) …   English dictionary

  • spell out — verb a) To form (a word) from its component letters. He used Scrabble tiles to spell out I LOVE YOU . b) To explain in a simple and understandable manner. Im sorry but I cant spell it out for you, because the whole issue is not that simple. Syn:… …   Wiktionary

  • spell out — phr verb Spell out is used with these nouns as the object: ↑detail …   Collocations dictionary

  • spell out — allow us to spell out the plan in detail Syn: explain, make clear, make plain, elucidate, clarify; specify, itemize, detail, enumerate, list, expound, particularize, catalog …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • spell out something — spell out (something) to explain something in detail. Students have been given a fact sheet that spells out how AIDS is transferred. The company has a very strict dress code, and they spell it out for you when you start working there …   New idioms dictionary

  • spell out — Synonyms and related words: account for, adduce, allegorize, amplify, anatomize, atomize, circumstantiate, cite, clarify, clear up, complete, construe, crack, decipher, demonstrate, demythologize, descend to particulars, detail, document,… …   Moby Thesaurus

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