Also, I beg your pardon, pardon me . Forgive me, as in Excuse me, please let me pass , or Pardon me for asking , or I beg your pardon, I don't think so . These phrases are used as an apology for interrupting a conversation, bumping into someone, asking a speaker to repeat something, politely disagreeing with something said, and so on. The first dates from about 1600, the first variant from about 1800, the second from the mid-1700s.
Also, I beg your pardon, pardon me . Forgive me, as in Excuse me, please let me pass , or Pardon me for asking , or I beg your pardon, I don't think so . These phrases are used as an apology for interrupting a conversation, bumping into someone, asking a speaker to repeat something, politely disagreeing with something said, and so on. The first dates from about 1600, the first variant from about 1800, the second from the mid-1700s.
Also, excuse oneself . Allow or ask to leave or be released from an obligation. For example, Please excuse me, I have to leave now , or I asked the judge to excuse me from jury duty . [1920s]
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After starting Lewis, his first batter, with a wild cutter that sent catcher Will Smith sprawling behind the plate, Henriquez executed a better one on the outside corner to induce an excuse-me swing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to check if the singing cat has folded my sweaters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
“I said, ‘Could you excuse me a minute?’
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2024
As it turns out we have three outhouses, excuse me “Johns” to turn to as a potential replacement for the outgoing Mitch.
From Salon ● Feb. 29, 2024
Her 90-second viral clip, filmed at a driving range, shows her finish a swing as a male voice off-camera immediately chips in with an "excuse me".
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2024
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to reread this thing for the hundredth time today.”
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
