explain away
verb
explained away; explaining away; explains away
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
M. K. SpearsExamples 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
Two are explained away, but that third set of DNA is revealed without much additional explanation.
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Until now.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
The reasons for the Dodgers’ struggles are easy to explain away.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
So can the drop in standards in the Premier League, with three defeats in their last four league games, be explained away by cup-final distraction?
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Experts say the shopping list will be difficult for the defense to explain away, especially based on the timing and the specific details about what Kohberger was allegedly looking at.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explain away
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Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
The reasons for the Dodgers’ struggles are easy to explain away.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
So can the drop in standards in the Premier League, with three defeats in their last four league games, be explained away by cup-final distraction?
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Experts say the shopping list will be difficult for the defense to explain away, especially based on the timing and the specific details about what Kohberger was allegedly looking at.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Cite this Entry
“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explain%20away. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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