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Synonyms

explain away

British  

verb

  1. (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  
  1. 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.

See Examples For:

“In the coming days, network leadership may attempt to hide behind corporate euphemisms like ‘modernization’ and ‘restructuring’ to explain away my departure,” Alfonsi said.

From Los Angeles Times May 27, 2026

The union tries to explain away the rejection by noting the CTU has been busy and that “even with 72 wins the ’96 Bulls still lost 10 games.”

From The Wall Street Journal May 26, 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

If I can just see him in person, he’ll be able to explain away what Zero had said.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

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