1
as in explains
to give the reason for or cause of
after the surprise attack, military leaders struggled to explain away the nation's unpreparedness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in excuses
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
tried to explain away his adulterous affairs by saying that men are promiscuous by nature
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explains away
Verb
-
From there, the snowball of negative plays picked up steam, which explains why the Dolphins finished the game with 211 yards.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025 -
At each camp, the team leaves behind a small but powerful item, a red card that explains what to do during encounters with immigration officials.—
David Rodriguez Muñoz,
Freep.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When Glenna excuses herself to go check on Lady Ellen, Julia thanks the woman and then proceeds to sneakily follow her straight up to Ellen’s quarters.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The critical question for IT organizations is whether VMware’s strategic role in hybrid architectures justifies the budget impact of Broadcom's new model.—
Steve McDowell,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Instead, Corsair's Xeneon Edge is a premium alternative that almost justifies its $250 price tag.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
27 Aug. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Explains away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explains%20away. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share