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
  • But the stock market is also known for volatility, which explains why some people shy away from investing in it.
    — Maurie Backman, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
  • George Bonanno, a psychologist at Columbia University, explains that many people who have intense symptoms initially—such as nightmares and flashbacks—won’t develop PTSD.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of explains
Verb
  • 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
  • Following another sharp exchange between the siblings, Ellen excuses herself from dinner.
    — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of excuses
Verb
  • Luxury fashion — an industry that justifies its price tag through the promise of human craftsmanship — has enjoyed nodding to robots, and in particular fem-bots, for decades.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
  • There's also the question of whether the energy transferred justifies the cost and complexity, particularly when conventional fast-charging stations are already expanding.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 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.

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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 23 Oct. 2026.

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