explain

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also explain away

verb

1. To make understandable: construe, decipher, explicate, expound, interpret, spell out. Archaic enucleate. Idioms: put into plain English. See explain/baffle.
2. To find a solution for: clear up, decipher, resolve, solve, unravel. Informal dope out, figure out. Idioms: get to the bottom of. See ask/answer, reason/unreason.
3. To offer reasons for or a cause of: account for, justify, rationalize. See explain/baffle.

phrasal verb - explain away

To conceal or make light of a fault or offense: extenuate, gloss over, gloze (over), palliate, sleek over, whitewash. See show/hide.

Dismiss or minimize the importance of something, especially something detrimental. For example, "His words were taken down, and though he tried to explain them away, he was sent to the Tower" (Thomas Macaulay, The History of England, 1855). [c. 1700]

v

Definition: make clear; give a reason for
Antonyms: be vague, complicate, confuse, mystify, obscure, perplex

IN BRIEF: To make plain or comprehensible.

She will explain the meaning of the book to the children.

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sign description: The F-handshapes move back and forth in front of the chest in an alternating movement.

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For a list of words related to explain, see:

• Reasoning and Informing - explain: show meaning of, make clear; state reasons for
• Questions and Answers - explain: elaborate on a brief answer

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See words rhyming with "explain."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Explain.

Common misspelling(s) of explain

• expalin

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - forklare
v. intr. - forklare sig

idioms:

• explain away    bortforklare

Nederlands (Dutch)
uitleggen, toelichten, uiteenzetten, verklaren

Français (French)
v. tr. - expliquer, élucider, éclaircir, exposer (des raisons), donner l'explication de (d'un phénomène), justifier (une attitude)
v. intr. - expliquer

idioms:

• explain away    justifier, trouver une explication convaincante de

Deutsch (German)
v. - erklären

idioms:

• explain away    eine Erklärung finden für

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - εξηγώ, καθιστώ κατανοητό, λύω, ερμηνεύω, εξηγούμαι, δικαιολογούμαι

idioms:

• explain away    αιτιολογώ ή προσπαθώ να δικαιολογήσω, εξηγώ

Italiano (Italian)
spiegare

idioms:

• explain away    giustificare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - explicar, interpretar

idioms:

• explain away    justificar

Русский (Russian)
объяснять, толковать

idioms:

• explain away    отделываться, отговариваться

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - explicar, exponer
v. intr. - dar una explicación

idioms:

• explain away    justificar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - förklara

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
解释, 阐明, 说明, 为...辩解, 辩解

idioms:

• explain away    把...解释过去

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 解釋, 闡明, 說明, 為...辯解
v. intr. - 解釋, 辯解, 說明

idioms:

• explain away    把...解釋過去

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 설명하다
v. intr. - 설명하다

idioms:

• explain away    교묘히 변명하여 모면하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 説明する, 釈明する, 弁明する, 理由になる

idioms:

• explain away    うまく釈明する, 説明して片付ける

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يوضح, يشرح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הסביר, הבהיר, פירט‬
v. intr. - ‮הסביר‬

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