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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

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

Now, excuse me while I return my sights to the sandbox.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2025

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

Please excuse me while I go coat shopping.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 21, 2024

“Please excuse me, Signora Hartlieb,” said Ida, “but this boy has only come to us recently and he is having a lot of trouble with the other children. So they teased you again, Ernesto?”

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke