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
There was no explaining away a mistake like that.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Production is either exalted or explained away.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026
Offscreen, some fans accuse Wyle of explaining away or downplaying his fictional character’s cruelty, and of a constellation of other sins, including envy of his fellow actors’ credentials.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026
The gallium anomaly remains similarly tough to explain away.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Production is either exalted or explained away.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026
Offscreen, some fans accuse Wyle of explaining away or downplaying his fictional character’s cruelty, and of a constellation of other sins, including envy of his fellow actors’ credentials.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026
The gallium anomaly remains similarly tough to explain away.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explain away
Verb
-
Thune has repeatedly explained that the bill, which Democrats and a handful of Republicans oppose, does not have the votes to pass in the Senate.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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The Logan star also explains how the strenuousness of the fight scenes doubled as an artistic choice.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The way the righthander has been closing games for the Rays, one can be excused for thinking Baker walks on water.—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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Without excusing her actions, Harron’s film explores Solanis’ place as a misfit even within the outsider world of the 1960s NYC underground art scene.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Verb
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In my view, a push by Metcalf does not justify a deadly response unless the push was an attempt to push someone off a subway platform.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2026
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SpaceX lost nearly $5 billion in 2025 and the blockbuster IPO has sparked debate over whether the company's huge valuation is justified.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explain%20away. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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