excuse

[ verb ik-skyooz; noun ik-skyoos ]

/ verb ɪkˈskyuz; noun ɪkˈskyus /

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See synonyms for: excuse / excused / excuses / excusing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ex·cused, ex·cus·ing.

to regard or judge with forgiveness or indulgence; pardon or forgive; overlook (a fault, error, etc.): Excuse his bad manners.

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.

to release from an obligation or duty: to be excused from jury duty.

to seek or obtain exemption or release for (oneself): to excuse oneself from a meeting.

to refrain from exacting; remit; dispense with: to excuse a debt.

to allow (someone) to leave: If you'll excuse me, I have to make a telephone call.

noun

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.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR excuse

3 extenuate, palliate.

4 free.

8 justification.

11 pretense, evasion, makeshift.

See synonyms for excuse on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about excuse

Excuse me, (used as a polite expression, as when addressing a stranger, when interrupting or disagreeing with someone, or to request repetition of what has just been said.)

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

synonym study for excuse

1. 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. 8. 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 WORDS FROM excuse

ex·cus·a·ble, adjectiveex·cus·a·ble·ness, nounex·cus·a·bly, adverbex·cus·al, noun

ex·cuse·less, adjectiveex·cus·er, nounex·cus·ing·ly, adverbex·cus·ive, adjectiveex·cus·ive·ly, adverbnon·ex·cus·a·ble, adjectivenon·ex·cus·a·ble·ness, nounnon·ex·cus·a·bly, adverbpre·ex·cuse, verb (used with object), pre·ex·cused, pre·ex·cus·ing.self-ex·cuse, nounself-ex·cused, adjectiveself-ex·cus·ing, adjectiveun·ex·cus·a·ble, adjectiveun·ex·cus·a·bly, adverbun·ex·cused, adjectiveun·ex·cus·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH excuse

alibi, excuse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use excuse in a sentence

There’s little excuse not to get outside and do that run, walk, hike, bike, jog — any outdoor activity — before winter gets here.
D.C.-area forecast: Mainly clear skies plus warmer temperatures today and tomorrow|A. Camden Walker|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Under cover of the pandemic, and the excuse of India’s cratered economy, he continues to favor big business interests over the environment.
Asia’s biggest climate migration|Konstantin Kakaes|November 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
In the following weeks, throughout April and May, the woman said, she tried to avoid being in the governor’s office whenever Clarkson visited, finding excuses to leave the room.
Junior Staffer Says Top Alaska Official Told Her to Keep Allegations of Misconduct Secret|by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News|November 18, 2020|ProPublica
The answer is that we can make no excuse for our lateness to this realization.
One name, two musical acts and a story of privilege: How the Lady A controversy captured the state of the music industry in 2020|Emily Yahr|November 11, 2020|Washington Post

Belichick spoke publicly about the Patriots’ salary cap approach in recent years leaving them strapped for cap space this season, leading to him being asked as a follow-up whether he’d been making excuses.
The Patriots’ season isn’t fixed, but at least they avoided losing to the Jets|Mark Maske|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
Blenkinson will be quite unable to let his old and honoured customer go entirely undefended or unexcused on so grave an issue.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 153, Aug 29, 1917|Various
Fifteen unexcused absences,” continued the professor, “so that you only lack one to be dropped from the roll.
The Reign of Greed|Jose Rizal

British Dictionary definitions for excuse

excuse

verb (ɪkˈskjuːz) (tr)

to pardon or forgivehe always excuses her unpunctuality

to seek pardon or exemption for (a person, esp oneself)to excuse oneself for one's mistakes

to make allowances for; judge lenientlyto excuse someone's ignorance

to serve as an apology or explanation for; vindicate or justifyher age excuses her behaviour

to exempt from a task, obligation, etcyou are excused making breakfast

to dismiss or allow to leavehe asked them to excuse him

to seek permission for (someone, esp oneself) to leavehe excused himself and left

be excused euphemistic to go to the lavatory

excuse me! an expression used to catch someone's attention or to apologize for an interruption, disagreement, or social indiscretion

noun (ɪkˈskjuːs)

an explanation offered in defence of some fault or offensive behaviour or as a reason for not fulfilling an obligation, etche gave no excuse for his rudeness

informal an inferior example of something specified; makeshift; substituteshe is a poor excuse for a hostess

the act of excusing

Derived forms of excuse

excusable, adjectiveexcusableness, nounexcusably, adverb

Word Origin for excuse

C13: from Latin excusāre, from ex- 1 + -cūsare, from causa cause, accusation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

excuse

OTHER WORDS FOR excuse

Idioms about excuse

Origin of excuse

synonym study for excuse

OTHER WORDS FROM excuse

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH excuse

Words related to excuse

How to use excuse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for excuse

Derived forms of excuse

Word Origin for excuse