explain away
Britishverb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Collagen is the primary structural protein found in bone tissue and one of the hardest biomolecules to explain away as contamination when identified in this context.
From Science Daily • May 14, 2026
One of them attempted to explain away her condition by claiming it was difficult to speak when reporting from cold climates.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
But we tend to justify or explain away our own contradictions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 5, 2025
They pick up on any and all evidence about human evil and conniving and explain away or ignore evidence of positive human qualities.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2024
Subconsciously you feel that you must attempt to explain away your failure, as an intellectual and soldier of ideas, to actively participate in critical social movements.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
