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

But over time, many have raised their standards and grown more critical, while others have become experts at explaining away silence to secure 30 more minutes of guilt-free listening to a new release from their favorite artist. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2025

But sightings like the gimbal are a lot harder to explain away—a point proven by another UAP incident known colloquially as the Tic Tac. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 22 Jan. 2025

His monstrous deeds are either omitted, explained away, or copied uncritically from official Soviet narratives. —Leon Aron, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2024

Yet many lawmakers are quick to dismiss or explain away the number, arguing the tax cuts will ultimately help the economy and, subsequently, revenue for the government. —Emily Wilkins, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for explain away

• andromache
• bioassay
• cabriolet
• cercariae
• communique
• companionway
• compositae
• decussate
• examinee
• fabaceae
• glyphosate
• microarray

Kids Definition

explain away

verb

: to cause to seem less important by explaining

explained away her mistake