explain away

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.

“It was the last straw for me — her not defending me. There were lots of other incidents, smaller ones. Ones I could ignore or explain away. But this one made me see who she really was, so after juvie I didn’t go back. I reconnected with my dad and Pops, and she was happy to have me gone.”

From Literature

Team USA has always had a convenient excuse to explain away its disappointing track record in the World Baseball Classic.

From The Wall Street Journal

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