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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Recent Examples of explain away
The famed African American journalist investigated lynchings across the South and wrote about the savage incidents that the white press had already explained away.
—
Case Thorp, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
That bone-deep exhaustion during perimenopause is easy to explain away.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
At the time, the signs felt easy to explain away.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
The conversations were often brief and fragmented, shaped by years of pain that had already been normalized or explained away.
—Sarah Berg, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Case Thorp, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
That bone-deep exhaustion during perimenopause is easy to explain away.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
At the time, the signs felt easy to explain away.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
The conversations were often brief and fragmented, shaped by years of pain that had already been normalized or explained away.
—Sarah Berg, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explain away
Verb
-
Perhaps the aether did exist, but it could never be construed as being in motion by an observer on the Earth, because the aether itself was being dragged by objects traveling through space, such as the Earth, explaining why a null result was obtained.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
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The impacts of these events still feel fresh, Serpi explains through a digital translator.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Journalists must avoid deception, but the primary instance when it may be excused is in deceiving certain sources during undercover investigations on an issue of public importance.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
7 May 2026
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Now, that doesn’t excuse Amad’s extremely sloppy pass, straight to Dominik Szoboszlai, who ran through unchecked to score.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Abraham Lincoln was wary of the doctrine, perceiving that any such notion of divine inevitability could be used to justify land grabs and war.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Dieck's use of deadly force was deemed justified by a critical response team, the 18th Judicial District Attorney, and an internal Aurora Police Department investigation.—
Brian Sherrod,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explain%20away. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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