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
Many enter military life young, at a time when physical setbacks or soreness can feel temporary, manageable, or easy to explain away.
—
Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
But Ruff was clear that the injury situation doesn’t explain away what the Sabres looked like in the first three games.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
One downside of Oza’s model, Kipping notes, is that any fluctuations in the levels of sulfur dioxide, sodium and potassium observed on WASP-39b can be easily explained away as variability in eruptions.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2025
Maybe the nuns could be transformed into spa therapists at a wellness retreat and the toxin explained away as a surfeit of matcha.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
But Ruff was clear that the injury situation doesn’t explain away what the Sabres looked like in the first three games.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
One downside of Oza’s model, Kipping notes, is that any fluctuations in the levels of sulfur dioxide, sodium and potassium observed on WASP-39b can be easily explained away as variability in eruptions.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2025
Maybe the nuns could be transformed into spa therapists at a wellness retreat and the toxin explained away as a surfeit of matcha.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explain away
Verb
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If a concept just doesn’t make sense, try explaining it out loud to a friend.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
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During the launch event, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu explained that solving charging anxiety is essential for wider EV adoption.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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None of this is to excuse Tina Peters’ conduct.—
Doug Friednash,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
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Thank the baseball gods for the Colorado Rockies, the Giants’ permanent buffer against being in last place and go-to excuse for why things could be worse.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Right now, Apple’s AirPods Max are leading the charge with a $120 price drop, which makes these excellent headphones a little easier to justify.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
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Both fatal shootings remain under investigation by the Office of the Inspector General to determine if the use of force was justified under Connecticut law.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explain%20away. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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