1
as in to explain
to give the reason for or cause of
after the surprise attack, military leaders struggled to explain away the nation's unpreparedness
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2
as in to excuse
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
tried to explain away his adulterous affairs by saying that men are promiscuous by nature
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Recent Examples of explain away
The quarterback attempted to explain away the situation after the fact.
—
Vincent Frank, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
Will explains away all of the suspicious pieces of evidence pointing in his direction.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
In their universe, Trump was waging a secret war against the deep state, and no matter what happened in the real world—like Trump losing the 2020 election, or being found guilty in court—it was always explained away as being part of the plan.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 14 Aug. 2024
This time, even Riley knew there was no sense in trying to explain away how close his Trojans had come.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for explain away 
Vincent Frank, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
Will explains away all of the suspicious pieces of evidence pointing in his direction.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
In their universe, Trump was waging a secret war against the deep state, and no matter what happened in the real world—like Trump losing the 2020 election, or being found guilty in court—it was always explained away as being part of the plan.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 14 Aug. 2024
This time, even Riley knew there was no sense in trying to explain away how close his Trojans had come.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for explain away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explain away
Verb
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This may explain the presence of the porcelain bowl fragment found on Mount Zion.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 15 Dec. 2024
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The star explained that exercising routinely was necessary because her body had to be conditioned for the flying stunts.Latoya Gayle, People.com, 15 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The Baltimore Ravens excused wide receiver Diontae Johnson from team activities this week.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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This isn’t to suggest that Say Nothing should have endorsed or excused the PIRA’s retaliatory actions.Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Confused and annoyed, he’s taken to Colonel Watson Smith (Anthony Howell) to justify his allegiance.Lincee Ray, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
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Some of the book’s sweeping claims seem not entirely justified by the evidence.Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near explain away
Cite this Entry
“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explain%20away. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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