explainer

noun

ex·​plain·​er ik-ˈsplā-nər How to pronounce explainer (audio)
plural explainers
: a person or thing that explains something: such as
a
: a person who makes something understandable
Modern day presidents must be good explainers of a complex world …Jonathan Alter et al.
b
: an article, podcast, graphic, etc., that explains something complex or not widely understood : an in-depth treatment of a topic
Each half-hour episode contained a big explainer of a complicated issue. The list of topics sounds like the arcane scraps from the cutting-room floor of most newsrooms—the amount of hidden sugar in food, civil forfeiture, the false hopes of lotteries, the failure of the American government to safeguard people who served as interpreters in Iraq and Afghanistan.David Carr
Inside, the issue contains a long explainer piece on how the subprime mess came to be and how it wreaked havoc on Citi, Wall Street and especially Merrill.Yvette Kantrow

Examples of explainer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web What to Know About Our Coverage of the Trump Trial Expect live updates from court, daily takeaways, explainers and analysis. Jonah E. Bromwich, New York Times, 19 May 2024 On the social media front, Variety’s head of social Rachel Seo was nominated for best use of social media to enhance and/or cover a story by a journalist tied to an organization for an explainer on what actors could and couldn’t do during the SAG-AFTRA strike. Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 9 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for explainer 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'explainer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of explainer was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near explainer

Cite this Entry

“Explainer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explainer. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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