alibi
Law. the defense by an accused person of having been elsewhere at the time an alleged offense was committed.
an excuse, especially to avoid blame.
a person used as one's excuse: My sick grandmother was my alibi for missing school.
Informal. to give an excuse; offer a defense: to alibi for being late.
Informal.
to provide an alibi for (someone): He alibied his friend out of a fix.
to make or find (one's way) by using alibis: to alibi one's way out of work.
Origin of alibi
1word story For alibi
Other words for alibi
Words that may be confused with alibi
- alibi , excuse
Words Nearby alibi
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use alibi in a sentence
That alibi wasn’t presented in court by his defense, which the family claims was incompetent.
Oklahoma will not execute Julius Jones, but the outcome should still trouble you | Jamil Smith | November 18, 2021 | VoxNone of the six were ever arrested, and most of the evidence—including a bloodied sheet and two witness statements that supposedly corroborated alibis of the priests—were destroyed in the 1980s.
Destroyed Evidence, Twisted Alibis, and Dead Priests at Center of Australian Murder Inquiry | Barbie Latza Nadeau | September 27, 2021 | The Daily BeastAny courtroom prosecutor would recognize these points as a circumstantial case for “consciousness of guilt,” the legal concept that covers actions like faking an alibi, destroying evidence, or threatening a witness.
They called it a conspiracy theory. But Alina Chan tweeted life into the idea that the virus came from a lab. | Antonio Regalado | June 25, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewSince 2008, companies like No Lie MRI and Cephos have raced to develop adequate research to use fMRI in lie detection, offering their services to legal defendants looking to validate their alibis.
Cruz and his lawyers later presented alibi witnesses and offered evidence that Cruz’s case had been tainted by the work of unscrupulous detectives.
Ruling on Murder Case by Judge Suffering From Dementia Will Stand, Court Says | by Joe Sexton | March 5, 2021 | ProPublica
I was also the front for a juvenile delinquent roaming the streets of New York City and using me as a parental alibi.
"Roommate" is the obvious alibi, but that introduces surprisingly-complex new lies.
“Tex-Mex for decades was ascendant,” Arellano told the The Weekly alibi in 2012.
After seeing injuries to infant girl, suspects devise alibi.
Israel to Simulate Chemical Attack By Suicide Bomber | Orly Halpern | December 5, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTFortunately for him, his arrest gives him the perfect alibi.
The Bizarre Coincidences Surrounding the $50M Diamond Heist in Belgium | Christopher Dickey, Nadette De Visser | February 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 1824, then a judge at Alencon, he helped render an alibi decision in favor of Victurnien d'Esgrignon, who really was guilty.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois ChristopheThat profound thinker, Mr Tony Weller, was never so correct as in his views respecting the value of an alibi.
The Gold Bat | P. G. Wodehouse“Of course you know Cap swore an alibi for you against that suspicion Conrad tried to head your way,” she stated a bit anxiously.
The Treasure Trail | Marah Ellis RyanBut, unhappily, each alibi would have been almost equally compromising.
Angling Sketches | Andrew LangLater the doctor was able to prove an alibi which cannot be shaken.
The Daffodil Mystery | Edgar Wallace
British Dictionary definitions for alibi
/ (ˈælɪˌbaɪ) /
law
a defence by an accused person that he was elsewhere at the time the crime in question was committed
the evidence given to prove this
informal an excuse
(tr) to provide with an alibi
Origin of alibi
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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