extenuating circumstances
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There were, however, extenuating circumstances, in that he was 12th fastest before failing to improve on a messy final lap hindered by a sub-optimal 'prep' lap which left his tyres out of the 'window'.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
There were extenuating circumstances, however, such as the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the Whitecaps to split one season between sequesters in Canada and Portland, Ore., then start the next season quarantined in Utah.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025
“The bottom line is: If consumers have jobs, barring extenuating circumstances, they will continue to spend money and pay their bills.”
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 11, 2025
When it happens for other people, because I know it does sometimes, there’s probably a lot of extenuating circumstances happening behind the scenes.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
He wanted to plead his friend’s case, explain the extenuating circumstances.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
