clear up vs explain

clear up and explain both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
clear up	No	No	Yes	No
explain	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, explain is a hypernym of clear up; that is, explain is a word with a broader meaning than clear up:

Other hypernyms of clear up include explicate.

clear up (verb)	explain (verb)
free (the throat) by making a rasping sound	make plain and comprehensible
finish a task completely	define
make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear	serve as a reason or cause or justification of
make clear and (more) comprehensible
become clear