illustrate
gb/ˈɪləstɹˌeɪt/ us/ˈɪləstɹˌeɪt/
B1
English
~ 1900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Explain with examples or images
To help people understand something by giving examples or showing pictures.
Usage pattern:
to illustrate [something] with [examples/images]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'illustrate' with 'decorate'; 'illustrate' means to explain or show, not just to make something look nice.
Synonyms
demonstrate (Often used for showing how something works or is done, not only for clarity.)
|
exemplify (More formal; focuses on showing as a typical example.)
Antonyms
obscure (Means to make something less clear or harder to understand.)
Collocations
illustrate a point
|illustrate an idea
|illustrate a concept
|illustrate with examples
|illustrate a book
Themes
education
|communication
|art
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The teacher illustrated her explanation with several real-life examples.
- This chart illustrates the company's growth over the last decade.
- The article illustrates how climate change affects local farming.
- He illustrated the process with a step-by-step diagram.
- The guidebook illustrates each recipe with full-color photos.
Learner examples
- The teacher illustrated the word with a picture.
- This map illustrates where the city is.
- The book illustrates how to make bread.
- He illustrated his story with drawings.
Verb
B1
action
2
Draw pictures for publication
To make pictures for a book or magazine.
Usage pattern:
to illustrate [a book/magazine/article]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with 'paint' or 'draw' in general; here it specifically means creating artwork for publication.
Synonyms
depict (To represent in a picture or drawing; broader than just for books.)
|
draw (More general; refers to making pictures without the publishing context.)
Antonyms
erase (To remove pictures or drawings from a work.)
Collocations
illustrate a children's book
|illustrate an article
|beautifully illustrated
|fully illustrated edition
Themes
art
|publishing
|arts_entertainment
|communication
|education
Examples
- She illustrated several popular children's books.
- The novel is illustrated by a famous artist.
- He was hired to illustrate the magazine's cover story.
- The cookbook is richly illustrated with color photographs.
Learner examples
- She illustrated a story for children.
- He illustrated the front page of the magazine.
- The book is illustrated with many pictures.
- My sister illustrated her own comic book.
Grammar
Dictionary form
illustrate
IPA
GB/ˈɪləstɹˌeɪt/
US/ˈɪləstɹˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
il - lus - trate (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (il)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: illustrate
- 3rd Person Singular: illustrates
- Present Participle: illustrating
- Past: illustrated
Word family
Forms
illustrates
verb
illustrating
verb
illustrated
verb
Core family
Advanced or less common
illustratively
adverb
Expressions
as illustrated by
1/ˈæz ˈɪləstɹˌeɪtɪd bˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
Shown as an example by
Used to say that something is an example of what you are talking about.
Examples
- Many animals can adapt to urban life, as illustrated by the presence of foxes in cities.
- The benefits of exercise are clear, as illustrated by numerous scientific studies.
to illustrate the point
1/tə ˈɪləstɹˌeɪt ðə pˈɔɪnt/
fixed phrase
Give example to support point
Used when giving an example to make your idea clearer.
Examples
- To illustrate the point, she showed us a short video.
- He told a story to illustrate the point about teamwork.