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
  • Odds of getting shares were worse than one in five thousand, which explains pretty loudly why the stock popped so much on launch.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Here, The Athletic explains the latest situation in terms of both outgoings and incomings at St James’ Park.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of explains
Verb
  • For me, the larger question is not whether artistic behavior excuses transgression, but how to hold artistic achievement and ethical accountability together without allowing one to erase the other.
    — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, some attack our business's fees, as though changing the subject somehow excuses copying another company's intellectual property.
    — Brian Taylor, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of excuses
Verb
  • Trust drives value, value justifies investment and investment flows toward the function that protects it.
    — Paul M. Wilson, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Usually a hypothesis justifies the data collected, rather than the reverse.
    — Jennifer D. Oliva, The Conversation, 17 Aug. 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 19 Aug. 2026.

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