explain away

verb

explained away; explaining away; explains away

transitive verb

1

: to get rid of by or as if by explanation

2

: to minimize the significance of by or as if by explanation

explains his faults, but does not try to explain them away

—M. K. Spears

Synonyms

• account (for)
• attribute
• explain
• rationalize

Examples of explain away in a Sentence

after the surprise attack, military leaders struggled to explain away the nation's unpreparedness

tried to explain away his adulterous affairs by saying that men are promiscuous by nature

Recent Examples on the Web

The defense struggled to explain away the incriminating Google searches. —Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024

Ed Temple No good choice Bronx: A blistering article in the Wall Street Journal professionally documents Joe Biden’s mental deterioration; it can’t be ignored, explained away, or propped up. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024

Few scientists expect that to be the case, but it has been suggested as a means to explain away the existence of dark matter. —Michael D. Lemonick, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024

In today’s age, possessions tend to be explained away with mental illness or temporary psychosis. —Brooke Knisley, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

explain away

verb

: to cause to seem less important by explaining

explained away her mistake