Explain and Reply

Explain

Explain verb - To make plain or understandable.

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Reply and explain are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Reply" instead a verb "Explain".

Reply verb - To speak or write in reaction to a question or to another reaction.

Usage example: please reply to my question at your earliest convenience

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Explain and reply are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Explain" instead a verb "Reply".

Nearby Words: replied, replying

But nobody wants to bother giving a reply to a machine that wants you to explain God to them.

Source: Xenofiction
Janeway tries to explain the concept of being transported in time and gets some blank looks in reply, so she changes tack: "You're having a very strange dream."

Source: Lies to Children
If the question is posed to the main cast, we often won't hear the reply, since we already know what went before, and it's probably far too bizarre to explain, anyway.

Source: What Are You in For?

Cite this Source

Reply and Explain. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 02, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/explain/reply

Explain & Reply. N.p., 2016. Web. 02 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/explain/reply>.

Reply or Explain. 2016. Accessed August 02, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/explain/reply.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "explain" and "reply" have occurred on timeline