explain away
verb
explained away; explaining away; explains away
1
: to get rid of by or as if by explanation
2
: to minimize the significance of by or as if by explanation
explains his faults, but does not try to explain them away—
M. K. Spears
M. K. SpearsExamples of explain away in a Sentence
after the surprise attack, military leaders struggled to explain away the nation's unpreparedness
tried to explain away his adulterous affairs by saying that men are promiscuous by nature
Recent Examples on the Web
There are other options, but regardless of what’s on the table for the future, burnout deserves to be taken seriously rather than explained away out of pride, guilt, or habit.
—
Scott Hanson,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
These subtle shifts are easy to explain away and even easier to ignore.
—
Tatiana Dias,
Vogue,
30 June 2026
However, in the months after giving birth to her daughter, Cust began noticing symptoms that felt unusual, but easy to explain away as postpartum exhaustion.
—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Certainly, there are swing issues that can’t be explained away by a good week at Triple-A.
—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for explain away
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Scott Hanson,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
These subtle shifts are easy to explain away and even easier to ignore.
—
Tatiana Dias,
Vogue,
30 June 2026
However, in the months after giving birth to her daughter, Cust began noticing symptoms that felt unusual, but easy to explain away as postpartum exhaustion.
—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Certainly, there are swing issues that can’t be explained away by a good week at Triple-A.
—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for explain away
Cite this Entry
“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explain%20away. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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