alibi

American  

[al-uh-bahy] / ˈæl əˌbaɪ /

noun

plural

alibis

1. Law. the defense by an accused person of having been elsewhere at the time an alleged offense was committed.

2. an excuse, especially to avoid blame.

   Synonyms:

   justification, reason, explanation

3. a person used as one's excuse.

   My sick grandmother was my alibi for missing school.

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verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to give an excuse; offer a defense.

   to alibi for being late.

verb (used with object)

1. Informal.

   1. to provide an alibi for (someone).

      He alibied his friend out of a fix.

   2. to make or find (one's way) by using alibis.

      to alibi one's way out of work.

alibi British  

/ ˈælɪˌbaɪ /

noun

1. law

   1. a defence by an accused person that he was elsewhere at the time the crime in question was committed

   2. the evidence given to prove this

2. informal an excuse

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verb

1. (tr) to provide with an alibi

Etymology

Origin of alibi

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

Example Sentences

Forensic analysis would show that the content creator's supposed alibi – a six-hour video game live stream broadcast the night Natalie died – was not live at all but pre-recorded days before.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Police had accepted his alibi and, on Christmas Eve, told McCullagh he was no longer viewed as a suspect.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Most surprising was the dialogue between Lee and the advanced OpenAI chatbot ChatGPT about how to create an alibi for Perpétuo’s injuries.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

"I never considered for a second there was a reason why. He had his alibi to show he couldn't have done it."

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

Cora remembered that Mabel had extended an alibi to Calvin when some planting tools went missing.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• excuse
• justification
• pretext