explain away
Britishverb
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.
Jean doesn’t try to explain away the contradiction.
From Los Angeles Times
One of them attempted to explain away her condition by claiming it was difficult to speak when reporting from cold climates.
From Barron's
“If you have to go through such mental and verbal gymnastics to explain away what this man said, how does he deserve a day of remembrance?”
From Salon
“If you have to go through such mental and verbal gymnastics to explain away what this man said, how does he deserve a day of remembrance?”
From Salon
Asked about whether he’s seeing institutional investors turn away from the U.S. toward emerging markets, he says that many fund managers can explain away one year of underperformance, of having missed out on a trend that reversed several years of lackluster returns.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
