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.
The filmmakers got current members to talk, though mostly they try to explain away everything unsavory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
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
However, at the bottom of the report there were a few well- chosen comments from the school nurse that not even Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia could explain away.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
