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 historical echoes are not easily explained away. —Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2024

There can be no scapegoating of a position group as was the case explaining away the ugly 2023 performance. —Paul Dehner Jr., The Athletic, 2 Dec. 2024

Pollster dismisses Harris campaign's attempt to explain away loss. —Fox News, 29 Nov. 2024

The company might have trouble explaining away those claims, which are partly based on a study of some 30 million daily users. —Nick Rockel, Fortune, 11 Oct. 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