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. Spears
Examples 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
Vibes are still bad with this team, where Sunday, owner Woody Johnson left the interim staff to explain away an awful year.
—Chris Branch, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Yes, Sunday’s performance was the same kind of game that was explained away early in the season, bemoaned in the fall and has become unavoidable in the twilight of the campaign.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2024
Prosecutors said that the kids had previously been in and out of the hospital for bruising, bleach burns and potential internal bleeding, among other reasons, all of which their parents were able to explain away, WLWT reported.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 29 Dec. 2024
But in his tenure, he's never had to explain away a loss on his watch in a statewide race.
—Dana Ferguson, NPR, 26 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for explain away 
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Chris Branch, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Yes, Sunday’s performance was the same kind of game that was explained away early in the season, bemoaned in the fall and has become unavoidable in the twilight of the campaign.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2024
Prosecutors said that the kids had previously been in and out of the hospital for bruising, bleach burns and potential internal bleeding, among other reasons, all of which their parents were able to explain away, WLWT reported.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 29 Dec. 2024
But in his tenure, he's never had to explain away a loss on his watch in a statewide race.
—Dana Ferguson, NPR, 26 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for explain away
Dictionary Entries Near explain away
Cite this Entry
“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explain%20away. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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