diff --git a/api/client/commands.go b/api/client/commands.go
index 2007ae9c2d..bd23b3c7fd 100644
--- a/api/client/commands.go
+++ b/api/client/commands.go
@@ -1136,7 +1136,7 @@ func (cli *DockerCli) CmdPull(args ...string) error {
 func (cli *DockerCli) CmdImages(args ...string) error {
 	cmd := cli.Subcmd("images", "[OPTIONS] [NAME]", "List images")
 	quiet := cmd.Bool([]string{"q", "-quiet"}, false, "Only show numeric IDs")
-	all := cmd.Bool([]string{"a", "-all"}, false, "Show all images (by default filter out the intermediate images used to build)")
+	all := cmd.Bool([]string{"a", "-all"}, false, "Show all images (by default filter out the intermediate image layers)")
 	noTrunc := cmd.Bool([]string{"#notrunc", "-no-trunc"}, false, "Don't truncate output")
 	// FIXME: --viz and --tree are deprecated. Remove them in a future version.
 	flViz := cmd.Bool([]string{"#v", "#viz", "#-viz"}, false, "Output graph in graphviz format")
diff --git a/contrib/completion/fish/docker.fish b/contrib/completion/fish/docker.fish
index edaa5ca8c6..e3bb72aebe 100644
--- a/contrib/completion/fish/docker.fish
+++ b/contrib/completion/fish/docker.fish
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ complete -c docker -A -f -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from history' -a '(__fish_pr
 
 # images
 complete -c docker -f -n '__fish_docker_no_subcommand' -a images -d 'List images'
-complete -c docker -A -f -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from images' -s a -l all -d 'Show all images (by default filter out the intermediate images used to build)'
+complete -c docker -A -f -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from images' -s a -l all -d 'Show all images (by default filter out the intermediate image layers)'
 complete -c docker -A -f -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from images' -l no-trunc -d "Don't truncate output"
 complete -c docker -A -f -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from images' -s q -l quiet -d 'Only show numeric IDs'
 complete -c docker -A -f -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from images' -s t -l tree -d 'Output graph in tree format'
diff --git a/docs/sources/reference/commandline/cli.rst b/docs/sources/reference/commandline/cli.rst
index da643f249a..c0487302dd 100644
--- a/docs/sources/reference/commandline/cli.rst
+++ b/docs/sources/reference/commandline/cli.rst
@@ -597,10 +597,17 @@ To see how the ``docker:latest`` image was built:
 
     List images
 
-      -a, --all=false: Show all images (by default filter out the intermediate images used to build)
+      -a, --all=false: Show all images (by default filter out the intermediate image layers)
       --no-trunc=false: Don't truncate output
       -q, --quiet=false: Only show numeric IDs
 
+The default ``docker images`` will show all top level images, their repository
+and tags, and their virtual size.
+
+Docker images have intermediate layers that increase reuseability, decrease 
+disk usage, and speed up ``docker build`` by allowing each step to be cached.
+These intermediate layers are not shown by default.
+
 Listing the most recently created images
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~