Thesaurus results for EXPLAIN AWAY

explain away

verb

Definition of explain away

as in to explain

to give the reason for or cause of after the surprise attack, military leaders struggled to explain away the nation's unpreparedness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in to excuse

to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses tried to explain away his adulterous affairs by saying that men are promiscuous by nature

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of explain away Still, there's a difference between de-escalating and going out of your way to explain away the actions of the player who just blasted one of your own. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026 How these experiences may be misclassified The symptoms that women in their late 30s, 40s, and early 50s commonly experience are, individually, easy to explain away. — Matt Emma, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026 However, these people don't need prediction markets to concoct some conspiracy theory to explain away why their candidate lost. — Bobby Allyn, NPR, 27 July 2026 Those anemic numbers help explain the President’s mania for changing the subject to election fraud—laying the groundwork to explain away any losses in November, or, worse, something closer to what Himes warned about. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for explain away

Recent Examples of Synonyms for explain away

Verb

For next year’s admissions, institutions would have to publish more detailed selection criteria and explain rejections when applicants request reasons.

— Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Chatbots can also explain complex topics in new ways and condense an overwhelming amount of information into a simple summary.

— Robin Brewer, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of explain

Verb

Look, saying a team should have played better doesn't excuse a questionable call that helps decide the game.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
But the series’ choice to humanize the villain without excusing her actions was intentional, Thornton explains.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of excuse

Verb

Between those grounds and the pool, there's enough here to justify leaving part of the day unscheduled.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
In this case, the AI agent carried over an earlier instruction not to send any Slack messages to OpenAI’s team, using that to justify turning off the alerts.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of justify

Browse Nearby Words

explainable

explain away

explained

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Style

“Explain away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explain%20away. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of explain away

verb

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