{
    "term": "explanation",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a2",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a statement, fact, or situation that tells you why something happened; a reason given for something",
            "sensetop": "explanation for somethingexplanation for doing somethingexplanation of somethingexplanation as to why…without explanation",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The most **likely explanation** is that his plane was delayed."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's the only explanation that makes any sense."
                },
                {
                    "text": "**a plausible/an alternative explanation**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "to **offer/provide an explanation**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I can't think of any **possible explanation** for his absence.",
                    "contextForm": "explanation for something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I'm sure there's a perfectly **simple explanation** for this."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She didn't **give an** adequate **explanation** for being late.",
                    "contextForm": "explanation for doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The book opens with an explanation of why some drugs are banned.",
                    "contextForm": "explanation of something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "an explanation as to why he had left early",
                    "contextForm": "explanation as to why…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She left the room abruptly without explanation.",
                    "contextForm": "without explanation"
                },
                {
                    "text": "‘I had to see you,’ he said, by way of explanation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "‘I've worked with them before, you see,’ he added, in explanation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A more credible explanation now occurred to her."
                },
                {
                    "text": "An explanation is clearly called for."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Another quite plausible explanation presented itself."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her success has been so remarkable as to defy explanation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I can think of one possible explanation for her behaviour."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I had no explanation for her strange behaviour."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I suppose you deserve an explanation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I think you owe me an explanation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's the only explanation that makes any kind of sense."
                },
                {
                    "text": "No further explanation is necessary."
                },
                {
                    "text": "No single clear explanation emerged from the experiments."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Several possible explanations exist."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She wrote to the company demanding an explanation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The men left quickly with no attempt at explanation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The simplest explanation for his achievements lies in his greater ability and superiority over his contemporaries at college."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There is no generally accepted explanation of this practice."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There is probably some perfectly logical explanation for their absence."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There was no apparent explanation for the attack."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There's sure to be a perfectly innocent explanation for all this—though I admit it looks bizarre."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We are still waiting for a full explanation from the teacher concerned."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["convincing", "credible", "good"],
                "verb + explanation": ["have", "give (somebody)", "offer (somebody)"],
                "explanation + verb": ["lie", "emerge", "occur to somebody"],
                "preposition": [
                    "in explanation",
                    "without explanation",
                    "explanation about"
                ],
                "phrases": ["an attempt at explanation", "by way of explanation"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a statement or piece of writing that tells you how something works or makes something easier to understand",
            "sensetop": "explanation of how, what, etc…explanation of somethingexplanation about something",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Other parts of the book contain unnecessarily lengthy explanations."
                },
                {
                    "text": "For a full explanation of how the machine works, turn to page 5.",
                    "contextForm": "explanation of how, what, etc…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The teacher gave the children a detailed explanation of the story.",
                    "contextForm": "explanation of something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He entered into a technical explanation about software and programming.",
                    "contextForm": "explanation about something"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["convincing", "credible", "good"],
                "verb + explanation": ["have", "give (somebody)", "offer (somebody)"],
                "explanation + verb": ["lie", "emerge", "occur to somebody"],
                "preposition": [
                    "in explanation",
                    "without explanation",
                    "explanation about"
                ],
                "phrases": ["an attempt at explanation", "by way of explanation"]
            }
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌekspləˈneɪʃn/",
                "audio": "ex/explanation/explanation__gb_2.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌekspləˈneɪʃn/",
                "audio": "ex/explanation/explanation__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English: from Latin explanatio(n-), from the verb explanare, based on planus ‘plain’."
}