explain away

British

verb

(tr, adverb) to offer excuses or reasons for (bad conduct, mistakes, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

explain away Idioms

Dismiss or minimize the importance of something, especially something detrimental. For example, “His words were taken down, and though he tried to explain them away, he was sent to the Tower” (Thomas Macaulay, The History of England, 1855). [c. 1700]

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

Jean doesn’t try to explain away the contradiction.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 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

Yet Zeno’s paradox was so powerful that the Greeks tried over and over to explain away his infinities.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

explain away

verb

Example Sentences

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