explains away

verb

present tense third-person singular of explain away
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
  1. explains
  2. excuses
  3. justifies
Verb
  • Below, Bourne explains how and why Black in the British Frame fell out of print.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Which perhaps explains why people keep trying to run it back.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of explains
Verb
  • Following another sharp exchange between the siblings, Ellen excuses herself from dinner.
    — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • None of that excuses his behavior, but a change of brain function, rather than a change of heart, is something his constituents need to consider.
    — Michael P.H. Stanley, STAT, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of excuses
Verb
  • That’s precisely the work AI is best suited to automate, not the work that justifies a marketing department.
    — Richard Freisberg, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • These are electric cars, which apparently justifies a vaguely techy-sounding alphanumeric assemblage.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of justifies
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.

Browse Nearby Words

explains
explains away
explanation
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Cite this Entry

“Explains away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explains%20away. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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