hide behind
phrasal verbhide behind somebody/something
- (disapproving) to use somebody/something to protect yourself from criticism or punishment, especially in a way that people think is weak or shows a lack of courage
- She hides behind empty excuses and company policy.
- Unscrupulous employers cannot get away with hiding behind the law.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
hide behind something
- to use something to keep secret your real identity, character or purpose
- He hid behind a false identity.
- criminals who hide behind a veneer of respectability