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
Although the series obviously took place on Superman’s home planet, the Fortress still appeared, explained away by the revelation that it was first created as a secret science base by Zor-El, the Great Grandfather of Jor-El.
—
Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 11 July 2025
Everyone chases trends while their million-dollar ideas get explained away.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
The catch is that these examples could be explained away as automatic.
—Christian Wolf, Scientific American, 25 June 2025
Meanwhile, Gascón has attempted to explain away her offensive posts.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 11 July 2025
Everyone chases trends while their million-dollar ideas get explained away.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
The catch is that these examples could be explained away as automatic.
—Christian Wolf, Scientific American, 25 June 2025
Meanwhile, Gascón has attempted to explain away her offensive posts.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explain away
Verb
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Marshall, who had represented the government in hundreds of desegregation cases over five decades, tried to explain that closing the case required a motion by the school district to lift the order, which the Justice Department could support or oppose, and review by a federal judge.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
27 Aug. 2025
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Elena Kagan says the majority should explain.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This doesn’t mean excusing harmful behavior.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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The Lawrence County School System has adjusted its controversial attendance policy which previously barred students from using doctor's notes to excuse absences.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Businesses can and should use catastrophe models themselves to establish baseline risk profiles, stress-test scenarios, quantify protection gaps, and justify resilience investments.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Some are too flashy, while others look too plain to justify the price tag.—
Amina Ayoud,
Glamour,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explain%20away. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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