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

Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee asked ChatGPT for help explaining away his girlfriend’s fatal injuries a day before she was found dead in their Tennessee home, prosecutors said Monday. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026

For months, the West Wing has had difficulty explaining away stubbornly high prices but has been able to celebrate the low cost of gas. —Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

Jean doesn’t try to explain away the contradiction. —Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026

Now, could it be maybe explained away? —Lauren A. White, CBS News, 22 Feb. 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
• microarray

Kids Definition

explain away

verb

: to cause to seem less important by explaining

explained away her mistake