explain away
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.explain away
transitive verbDefinition of EXPLAIN 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>
Examples of EXPLAIN AWAY
- <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>
First Known Use of EXPLAIN AWAY
1704
Related to EXPLAIN AWAY
- Synonyms
- account (for), attribute, explain, rationalize
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All Words Near: explain away
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