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
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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
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But as Lilly explains to Ronnie, telling the truth now won’t do anything to absolve Hank — everyone already thinks Lilly is crazy.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025 -
At the train station when Kelley is about to depart, Howie explains his backstory to keep Kelley from leaving.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Researchers emphasized that none of these conditions excuses Hitler’s actions or policies.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Nov. 2025
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Their cry is not against the faith itself but against distorted theology that excuses cruelty.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Satisfy gets a lot of flack for its prices, but this running jacket justifies the price tag thanks to its effective modularity and (extremely) lightweight design.—
Will Porter,
Outside,
4 Jan. 2026
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While there are legitimate concerns throughout the Midwest about future reliability due to new data centers and their substantial power consumption, there is no looming emergency that justifies the administration’s action here.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Explains away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explains%20away. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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