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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of explain away
The tremors can be so muffled and distant that people continually adapt, explaining away the anomalies.
—
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
However easy that is to explain away, that factoid remains kind of interesting.
—Clem Chambers, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Two are explained away, but that third set of DNA is revealed without much additional explanation.
Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist
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
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
However easy that is to explain away, that factoid remains kind of interesting.
—Clem Chambers, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Two are explained away, but that third set of DNA is revealed without much additional explanation.
Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist
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
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explain away
Verb
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That pride helps explain why fighting bulls eat so well.—
Chang W. Lee,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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The smaller budget is in part explained by the expiration of one-time spending that came as part of 2023’s more than $70 billion budget that raised spending by nearly 40%.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Distraught over the proceedings, Shepperd excused herself to use the restroom.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
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The Gophers men’s basketball coach can be excused for his lack of interior designing; he’s been busy the past two-plus months putting together almost an entirely new roster, amassing nine new players via the NCAA transfer portal.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
6 June 2025
Verb
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But as cloud spend goes up, the need to justify cost efforts and demonstrate cost avoidance to execs will increase.—
Adrian Bridgwater,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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But variability in symptoms doesn’t justify variability in care.—
Sean C. Domnick,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explain%20away. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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