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 of explain away

• explain
• account (for)

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

The conversation kicked off with a discussion of faith and the rush to scientifically explain away events that may be divinely touched. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

But this is largely a myth, concocted by critics and cool kids to explain away and undercut the popularity of their music. — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026

But Noelle wasn’t in daycare and had spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic at home, making the frequency of her illnesses harder for Kiya to explain away. — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026

Still, there's a difference between de-escalating and going out of your way to explain away the actions of the player who just blasted one of your own. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026

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
• gramineae

Kids Definition

explain away

verb

: to cause to seem less important by explaining

explained away her mistake