How to Use elaborate in a Sentence

elaborate

1 of 2 adjective
Definition of elaboratenext
Synonyms for elaboratenext
  • I see now that her behavior was all part of an elaborate plan.
  • He told the story in elaborate detail.
  • The dancers were wearing elaborate costumes.
  • They made elaborate preparations for his visit.
  • Part of that was matching all the elaborate trim and scroll work.
    — Judy Rose, Detroit Free Press, 8 Oct. 2017
  • Some of them come back the next time with ideas for even more elaborate designs.
    — Washington Post, 21 June 2021
  • The new car is as sleek as its supply chain is elaborate.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 18 Feb. 2023
  • But as the months progressed, the envelopes got more and more elaborate.
    — Steve Hartman, CBS News, 5 May 2023
  • And the announcement event will be more elaborate than in years past.
    — Paul Grein, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2020
  • The death scenes are always much more elaborate, with more blood and gore.
    — Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2023
  • Each prank is expected to be more elaborate than the next.
    — Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2023
  • The oldest was buried with weapons and an elaborate headdress.
    — National Geographic, 18 June 2020
  • Maybe – just maybe – this was an elaborate way to promote the new flight?
    — David Wysong, The Enquirer, 5 June 2023
  • As a child, wearing a sari seemed to me like an elaborate game of dress-up.
    — Meara Sharma, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2019
  • Groups from each house compete in elaborate balls that take cues from the world of fashion.
    — al, 2 June 2022
  • There wasn't an elaborate dinner where the staff asked him a bunch of questions.
    — Cameron Teague Robinson, The Courier-Journal, 15 May 2020
  • The event draws gaming fans from across the country in elaborate costumes.
    — Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 31 July 2021
  • Beyond the elaborate paint job, Williams did most of the work himself.
    — Maria L. La Ganga, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
  • The elaborate fraisier is a dome of cake, strawberry basil jam and cream.
    — Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2019
  • The videos are elaborate but mostly only in terms of editing.
    — Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, 10 Mar. 2020
  • Both wore elaborate hats topped by black crows, symbols of death.
    — Susan Degrane, chicagotribune.com, 2 Nov. 2020
  • This means there will be no breaks that had been used to move elaborate sets between dance numbers.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 19 Sep. 2022
  • Some states had elaborate plans, but they were not carried out.
    — Danielle Jackson, Longreads, 7 May 2018
  • One of them just announced her plans for an elaborate wedding.
    — Abigail Van Buren, Twin Cities, 22 Dec. 2019
  • Kathy Koehler had made elaborate plans to meet her first grandchild.
    — New York Times, 11 Mar. 2021
  • Besides, why make the staging so elaborate and bizarre?
    — Douglas Preston, The New Yorker, 10 May 2021
  • Photos from the raids showed town folk just how elaborate the valley camps had become.
    — Brendan Borrell, Smithsonian, 28 Feb. 2018
  • Around town he’s known as a master who can carve the most elaborate details into stone.
    — Elaine Sciolino, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Dec. 2023
  • Omar had put the portrait in an elaborate gilt frame, which was distracting.
    — Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022
  • Kids clubs on ships are more elaborate than at resorts on land, one expert said.
    — Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023
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elaborate

2 of 2 verb
  • I'll be glad to elaborate if you want to hear more.
  • She was asked to say more about her earlier statements, but she declined to elaborate.
  • Crews did not elaborate on the content of the four episodes.
    — Rachel Yang, EW.com, 24 June 2020
  • The bureau did not elaborate on the reason for the move.
    — Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 22 May 2020
  • The post didn't elaborate on the nature or cause of the issue.
    — Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 18 Jan. 2022
  • Singh would not elaborate on what caused the restaurant to close.
    — John-John Williams Iv, baltimoresun.com, 7 May 2018
  • The statement did not elaborate on the reasons for his ouster.
    — Meredith Blake, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Sep. 2023
  • Kitchen did not elaborate on what those steps might be.
    — Deborah Yetter, The Courier-Journal, 8 June 2020
  • Not one of them asked her to elaborate on her claims about voter fraud.
    — Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2021
  • Beckwitt went to elaborate lengths to keep the project a secret.
    — Michael Kunzelman, BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2019
  • Mauldin did not elaborate on the nature of that dispute.
    — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 9 Dec. 2020
  • Nguyen's group went to elaborate lengths to create proof of the sham weddings.
    — Alison Medley, Chron, 6 Nov. 2020
  • The statement fails to doesn't elaborate on the child's injuries.
    — Chris Harris, PEOPLE.com, 22 July 2022
  • Sadler would not elaborate further on the content or origin of the call.
    — Arkansas Online, 22 Aug. 2020
  • Officials did not further elaborate on the specifics of the threat.
    — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 10 Sep. 2023
  • Google and Facebook declined to elaborate on the specifics of their deal.
    — New York Times, 17 Jan. 2021
  • The diocese did not elaborate on why that age was chosen.
    — Ryan Foley, chicagotribune.com, 24 Nov. 2020
  • The lieutenant would not elaborate on the man’s death in response to questions.
    — David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2021
  • Gallego tried to elaborate, but struggled to find the right words.
    — Jessica Boehm, azcentral, 7 June 2020
  • Reid didn’t elaborate on the specifics of what turned out to be the final offensive play.
    — Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Pierson did not elaborate on why the charges are being tossed.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2021
  • The document did not elaborate on what the text message said.
    — Elizabeth Zavala, ExpressNews.com, 6 Nov. 2020
  • The source did not elaborate on how recently the meeting took place.
    — Tara John and Isabelle Jani Friend, CNN, 16 Feb. 2022
  • Charges were not filed in that case, though Rosati could not elaborate.
    — Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2018
  • Asked what the fan said to incite him, Stallings would not elaborate.
    — Jake Lourim, The Courier-Journal, 2 Jan. 2018
  • Fitzgerald said the two men knew each other but did not elaborate.
    — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 21 June 2023
  • Grant did not elaborate on what led him to believe foul play was involved.
    — Nicole Blanchard, idahostatesman, 23 Oct. 2017
  • The statement did not elaborate on what kinds of restrictions would be eased.
    — Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2020
  • Police have not yet elaborated on what makes the death appear to have been caused by foul play.
    — Everton Bailey Jr., OregonLive.com, 10 May 2018
  • Reeves did not elaborate on a potential villain for the film.
    — Yohana Desta, HWD, 13 July 2017

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

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