tease out
To slowly and carefully get something out that is hidden or difficult to find, like finding a specific thread in a knot.
Meanings
To gently pull tangled hair, fibres, or strands out of a knotted mass.
"She used a wide-toothed comb to tease out the knots after washing her hair."
To extract hidden or implied meaning, information, or ideas from something complex.
"The professor helped us tease out the political subtext in the poem."
To gradually obtain information from someone who is reluctant to give it.
"It took twenty minutes to tease the full story out of him."
Very common in academic, journalistic, and analytical contexts. Also used literally for hair or fibres. The figurative sense (extracting meaning or information) is more frequent in educated writing.
Commonly used with
Forms
Understand "tease out" better
Real video examples
Video examples are being collected. Check back soon.
Synonyms
Want to master this phrasal verb?
Practice "tease out" on Looplines