alibi

[ al-uh-bahy ]

/ ˈæl əˌbaɪ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: alibi / alibied / alibiing on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural al·i·bis.

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.

verb (used without object)

Informal. to give an excuse; offer a defense: to alibi for being late.

verb (used with object)

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR alibi

2 explanation, reason, justification.

See synonyms for alibi on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of alibi

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin alibī (adverb): “in another place, elsewhere”

historical usage of alibi

Alibi in Latin is an adverb meaning “in or at another place.” Its earliest English uses, in the 18th century, are in legal contexts, both as an adverb and as a noun meaning “a plea of having been elsewhere.” The extended noun senses “excuse” and “person used as one's excuse” developed in the 20th century in the United States and occur in all but the most formal writing. As a verb alibi occurs mainly in informal use.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH alibi

alibi , excuse

Words nearby alibi

Aliákmon, alias, alias dictus, aliasing, Ali Baba, alibi, alible, Alicante, Alice, Alice band, Alice blue

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|Vox
None 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 Beast
Any 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 Review
Since 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.
The Trouble with Brain Scans - Issue 98: Mind|Kelsey Ichikawa|March 31, 2021|Nautilus

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.
Where Cellphone Numbers Go to Die|Jon Methven|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Roommate" is the obvious alibi, but that introduces surprisingly-complex new lies.
Michael Sam Is Not a ‘Distraction’|Dave Cullen|February 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Tex-Mex for decades was ascendant,” Arellano told the The Weekly Alibi in 2012.
The Next Big Cuisine of 2014 Is ... Tex-Mex?|Andrew Romano|January 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After seeing injuries to infant girl, suspects devise alibi.
Israel to Simulate Chemical Attack By Suicide Bomber|Orly Halpern|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Fortunately 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|DAILY BEAST
In 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 Christophe
That 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 Ryan
But, unhappily, each alibi would have been almost equally compromising.
Angling Sketches|Andrew Lang
Later the doctor was able to prove an alibi which cannot be shaken.
The Daffodil Mystery|Edgar Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for alibi

alibi

/ (ˈælɪˌbaɪ) /

noun plural -bis

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

verb

(tr) to provide with an alibi

Word Origin for alibi

C18: from Latin alibī elsewhere, from alius other + -bī as in ubī where

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

alibi

OTHER WORDS FOR alibi

Origin of alibi

historical usage of alibi

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH alibi

Words nearby alibi

Words related to alibi

How to use alibi in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alibi

Word Origin for alibi