Word family noun explaining explanation adjective unexplained explanatory explicable ≠ inexplicable verb explain adverb inexplicably
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishexplanationex‧pla‧na‧tion /ˌekspləˈneɪʃən/ ●●● S3 W2 noun 1 [countable, uncountable]REASON the reasons you give for why something happened or why you did somethingexplanation of/for Can you think of any explanation for this failure?without explanation The concert was cancelled without explanation.► see thesaurus at reason2 [countable]INSTRUCTIONS a statement or piece of writing intended to describe how something works or make something easier to understandprovide/give an explanation The ability to give clear explanations is the most important quality of the ideal teacher.explanation of I’ll try and give you a quick explanation of how the machine works.COLLOCATIONSverbshave an explanationDoes the hospital have any explanation for why he died?give an explanationThe police gave no explanation for their actions.provide/offer an explanationThis theory may provide an explanation for the origins of the universe.ask for/demand an explanationWhen I asked for an explanation, the people at the office said they didn't know.Furious parents are demanding an explanation from the school.wait for an explanation (=expect an explanation)She continued to stare at him in silence, waiting for an explanation.find/think of/come up with an explanationScientists have been unable to find an explanation for this phenomenon.owe (somebody) an explanationI think you owe me some kind of explanation.accept an explanation (=believe that it is true or correct)The court accepted her explanation.need/require an explanationWe think the minister’s decision requires an explanation.adjectivesa possible explanationCan anyone think of a possible explanation for why this is happening?the most likely/probable explanation (=one that is probably true)The most likely explanation is that John missed the bus.The most probable explanation is that the water was contaminated.an obvious explanation (=one that is easy to see or notice)There is no obvious explanation for his strange behaviour.a reasonable/plausible explanation (=one that is easy to believe)Pilot error is the most plausible explanation for the crash.a satisfactory/adequate explanation (=one that explains something completely)A bank must offer an adequate explanation of all its charges.a convincing/credible explanation (=one that you can believe is true)The author fails to provide a convincing explanation for the main character’s motives.a logical/rational explanation (=one that is based on facts)Physics finally gave us a rational explanation for the atom’s strange behaviour.further explanation (=additional reasons)He gave no further explanation for leaving, and she did not ask for any.phrasesthere is no apparent explanation (=used when there is no explanation that you can think of)There was no apparent explanation for the attack. Examples from the Corpus
explanation• Unless Guy came up with an acceptable explanation, the entire Court would be gossiping about them.• Students can rewrite an explanation for a different audience, such as their younger brothers and sisters.• Does the as-if strategy of pragmatism allow a better explanation?• Our guide gave us a detailed explanation of the system of government.• Some of these critiques give mono-casual, but most give multi-dimensional, explanations of the links between law and society.• Coach Green wasn't willing to accept his explanation.• One can go to the thousands of human societies and find ingenious explanations for each incidence of masculinity and femininity.• He offered no explanation for his absence at the previous day's meeting.• She offered no explanation as to why she had left so suddenly.• The kind of explanation we come up with must not contradict the laws of physics.• I don't know why he tested positive for drugs. The only explanation I can think of is that the samples got mixed up.• There are several possible explanations for girls' superior high school performance.• Can you give us a quick explanation of how it works?• This can be ascribed to the absence of any craft-related explanation of the changes.• Each diagram is followed by a simple explanation.• What was their explanation for their decision?• Scientists have offered various explanations for these changes in climate.• The people who consider themselves to be pentecostals are uncomfortable with explanations of their movement that seem to explain it away.• This work should have been finished a week ago. What's your explanation?explanation of/for• For instance, while brain cells do die and are not replaced, their loss is not an explanation for senility.• It suggests therefore that there is another explanation for such behaviour.• He offered another explanation for why Sen.• The principles of learning theory provide a prima-facie explanation of the linguistic changes which occur during childhood.• At the same time, it is not alone in the field: there are alternative mystical explanations of misfortune.• In my view, the above-quoted explanations for the poor showing, although valid, are too superficial.• Either way, there has to be some rational explanation of Clinton's conduct.• This can be ascribed to the absence of any craft-related explanation of the changes.provide/give an explanation• This will involve some such task as giving an explanation of difficulties, requesting clarification, writing an apology, etc.• Recent genetic studies have provided an explanation for this variation.• Associative learning provides explanations for basic forms of learning.• However, they may provide an explanation of the observed value of one very important quantity: the so-called cosmological constant.• The level at which theism provides an explanation is the very general level of metaphysics.• And they had to provide an explanation if they took any longer than five minutes.• This theory enables one to give an explanation for the existence of the universe, in terms of a goal or purpose.• I want to give an explanation of my own experience described there. 