explain away

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to give an explanation intended to make a troubling fact seem unimportant

   Phrasal verb · Separable

   explain away something / explain something away

   Usage: A noun object may come before or after away; put a personal pronoun between the verb and particle, as in explain it away.

   She tried to explain away the missing money as an accounting mistake.

   Sources and attribution

   OpenAI Codex authors; independent AI editorial review recorded in the corpus review archive. — Original project editorial material; cleared for The Missing Workbook

   • The Missing Workbook: original construction review

   She tried to explain away the missing money as an accounting mistake.

Topics

External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary