Word.ws English Dictionary

illustrating

illustrating is the present participle and gerund of illustrate.

Meaning of illustrate

Verb

illustrate (third-person singular simple present illustrates, present participle illustrating, simple past and past participle illustrated)

  1. (figuratively) To clarify something by giving, or serving as, an example or a comparison.
    • We illustrate our definitions by including quotations or simple examples.
  2. To provide a book or other publication with pictures, diagrams or other explanatory or decorative features.
    • The economics textbook was illustrated with many graphs.
  3. (obsolete) To shed light upon.
    • Here, when the morn illustrates all the sky.1614–1615, Homer, “(please specify the book number)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses. […], London: […] Rich[ard] Field [and William Jaggard], for Nathaniell Butter, published 1615...
  4. (obsolete) To give renown or honour to; to make illustrious.
    • Matter to me of glory, whom their hate / Illustrates.1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
    Synonyms:
    glorify

Questions about illustrating

What is illustrating the present participle and gerund of?
Illustrating is the present participle and gerund of illustrate.

Words near illustrating in the dictionary

  1. illustrated song
  2. illustrated songs
  3. illustrateds
  4. illustrates
  5. illustrateth
  6. illustrating
  7. illustration
  8. illustration board
  9. illustrational
  10. illustrationist
  11. illustrations

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: illustrating (page history and authors); illustrate (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “illustrating.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/illustrating. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.