excuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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excuses,
present (3rd person singular)
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excused,
past participle, past
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excusing
present participle
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to regard or judge with forgiveness or indulgence; pardon or forgive; overlook (a fault, error, etc.).
Excuse his bad manners.
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to offer an apology for; seek to remove the blame of.
He excused his absence by saying that he was ill.
-
to serve as an apology or justification for; justify.
Ignorance of the law excuses no one.
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to release from an obligation or duty.
to be excused from jury duty.
- Synonyms:
- free
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to seek or obtain exemption or release for (oneself ).
to excuse oneself from a meeting.
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to refrain from exacting; remit; dispense with.
to excuse a debt.
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to allow (someone) to leave.
If you'll excuse me, I have to make a telephone call.
noun
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excuses
plural
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an explanation offered as a reason for being excused; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault or for release from an obligation, promise, etc..
His excuse for being late was unacceptable.
- Synonyms:
- justification
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a ground or reason for excusing or being excused.
Ignorance is no excuse.
-
the act of excusing someone or something.
-
a pretext or subterfuge.
He uses his poor health as an excuse for evading all responsibility.
-
an inferior or inadequate specimen of something specified.
That coward is barely an excuse for a man. Her latest effort is a poor excuse for a novel.
idioms
verb
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to pardon or forgive
he always excuses her unpunctuality
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to seek pardon or exemption for (a person, esp oneself)
to excuse oneself for one's mistakes
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to make allowances for; judge leniently
to excuse someone's ignorance
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to serve as an apology or explanation for; vindicate or justify
her age excuses her behaviour
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to exempt from a task, obligation, etc
you are excused making breakfast
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to dismiss or allow to leave
he asked them to excuse him
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to seek permission for (someone, esp oneself) to leave
he excused himself and left
-
euphemistic to go to the lavatory
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an expression used to catch someone's attention or to apologize for an interruption, disagreement, or social indiscretion
noun
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an explanation offered in defence of some fault or offensive behaviour or as a reason for not fulfilling an obligation, etc
he gave no excuse for his rudeness
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informal an inferior example of something specified; makeshift; substitute
she is a poor excuse for a hostess
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the act of excusing
Synonym Usage
Excuse, forgive, pardon imply being lenient or giving up the wish to punish. Excuse means to overlook some (usually) slight offense: to excuse bad manners. Forgive is applied to excusing more serious offenses: to forgive and forget. Pardon usually applies to a specific act of lenience or mercy by an official or superior: The governor was asked to pardon the condemned criminal. Excuse, apology both imply an explanation of some failure or failing. Excuse implies a desire to avoid punishment or rebuke. Apology usually implies acknowledgment that one has been in the wrong.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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excusablenessnoun
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excusalnoun
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excusernoun
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nonexcusablenessnoun
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self-excusenoun
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preexcuseverb (used with object)
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excusableadjective
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excuselessadjective
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excusiveadjective
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nonexcusableadjective
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self-excusedadjective
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self-excusingadjective
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unexcusableadjective
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unexcusedadjective
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unexcusingadjective
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excusablyadverb
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excusinglyadverb
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excusivelyadverb
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nonexcusablyadverb
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unexcusablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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excusesimple
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excusessimple
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have excusedperfect
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has excusedperfect
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am excusingprogressive
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are excusingprogressive
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is excusingprogressive
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have been excusingperfect progressive
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has been excusingperfect progressive
Past
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excusedsimple
-
had excusedperfect
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was excusingprogressive
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were excusingprogressive
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had been excusingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of excuse
First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English escusen, excusen, from Old French escuser, excuser, from Latin excūsāre “to put outside, exonerate,” equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + -cūsāre, derivative of causa cause; (noun) Middle English escuse, excuse, from Old French excuse, derivative of escuser, excuser
Explanation
An excuse is an explanation for something that went wrong. When we give an excuse, we're trying to get someone to cut us some slack. When you finish dinner and ask, "May I be excused?" you've used one of many meanings of this word. It’s generally a reason for behavior: A note from your parents saying you have a doctor’s appointment can excuse you from school for the day. If your dog is sick, he has an excuse for barfing in the house. But be careful — making excuses can get awfully close to whining.
Vocabulary lists containing excuse
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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"The War of the Wall" by Toni Cade Bambara
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"The House on Mango Street" and "The Road Not Taken"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
More than 600 years later, that same intoxicating smell became an unlikely excuse for theft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
You don’t have to excuse it, but you can try to understand it.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
Sharman says she had "always worried" about her health as a child and remembers "making up any excuse" to get sent home from school and get into bed.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The United Kingdom said the right to protest "can never excuse violence".
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
Had he lied— invented an excuse to explain Anna May’s absence so he could save face?
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
When it comes to Bass, Gonzalez said, "I haven't seen enough progress, and I've heard a lot of excuses."
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
We are not accepting any excuses for anything and I think the players are doing a great job.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
There were no more excuses, no more explanations for why USC was still falling short — even he seemed to agree to that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
If these excuses hold in the pact’s first crisis, they will hold in the next.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
They always invite me, but I make up excuses not to go.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
But she claimed she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and sought to be excused from criminal responsibility.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
She excused herself and returned to her prayers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Medellín excused herself and headed across the street — there was more fiesta to enjoy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Walton-Cole was repeatedly told she could be excused from jury service, but pushed against that, saying: "As a jury, we're supposed to reflect society."
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Matthias was excused from duties at the gatehouse fortifications.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
He damns terrorists with faint praise, as when he condemned the attack on a Jewish school in West Bloomfield, Mich., before excusing the perpetrator with the words “hurt people do hurt people.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The film isn’t excusing these rough working conditions, but it’s not a puff piece, either.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
When Matt first emailed BBC News he said: "I used to be very pro-dog but now am ultra cautious and cynical about dog owners. I hate seeing dogs off lead and owners excusing it."
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2025
Other people were more forgiving, with some criticizing the negativity coming Andress’ way and excusing her rough performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2024
They sat, unmoving, while she sung, and then, without excusing himself, 13-04 rose and rushed above-stairs, and sought her out along the corridors.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
