1
as in explains
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
Relevance
2
as in excuses
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
tried to explain away his adulterous affairs by saying that men are promiscuous by nature
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explains away
Verb
-
As if that wasn't enough, the hospital is also in lockdown due to an active shooter, as Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) explains in the heart-pounding promo.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026 -
Rhone explains why that changed.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The Justice Department says Bondi’s ouster excuses her from having to appear.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Continue reading … MEDIA HALL PASS — Nashville public school excuses Muslim students for daily prayer time during Ramadan.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The bulls claim that trend justifies today’s valuations, and that EPS can keep rolling in double-digits while national income trudges at a nominal 5% or so.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
For those willing to make the trip, the standard of care justifies every mile.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Explains away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explains%20away. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
