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• excuse-me
  excuse-me

  noun

  a dance in which a person may take another's partner
• excuse me
  excuse me

  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.

excuse-me

British  

noun

1. a dance in which a person may take another's partner

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excuse me Idioms  

1. 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.

2. 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]

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Example Sentences

"They have to open up the Strait of Trump -- I mean Hormuz. Excuse me, I'm so sorry. Such a terrible mistake."

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

“By the way, Robert and Xochitl, the chemistry, excuse me? Excuse me? It was so wonderful.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2025

Excuse me while I send a few LinkedIn connection requests to people in South Carolina and New Mexico, which rank first and second.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 18, 2025

Excuse me, your mercy, people told her as they passed in a doorway or elevator.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2024

Excuse me if I smell slightly of garlic .

From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling