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
  • The Two Clinic Models Behind Every Turkish Quote Before reading any ranking, understand the single distinction that explains most of the price gap between Turkish clinics.
    — Burak Onal, Kansas City Star, 10 Nov. 2026
  • This book explains that putting the napkin on the chair may soil the chair, and upon returning, the diner’s clothes.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of explains
Verb
  • So much so that the Texas head football coach excuses its 80th national ranking in offense.
    — Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Created in 2007, PSLF excuses the federal student debt of government and nonprofit workers after 120 qualifying monthly payments.
    — Jessica Dickler,Annie Nova, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of excuses
Verb
  • Before enrolling, though, be sure to confirm that the potential discount justifies its cost.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • This script justifies that lame happy ending with a clever idea about the radiation sickness that results from suffering a blast of the creature’s atomic breath.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 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.

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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 13 Nov. 2026.

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