excuse
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.
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.
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
1synonym study For excuse
Other words for excuse
Other words from excuse
- ex·cus·a·ble, adjective
- ex·cus·a·ble·ness, noun
- ex·cus·a·bly, adverb
- ex·cus·al, noun
- ex·cuse·less, adjective
- ex·cus·er, noun
- ex·cus·ing·ly, adverb
- ex·cus·ive, adjective
- ex·cus·ive·ly, adverb
- non·ex·cus·a·ble, adjective
- non·ex·cus·a·ble·ness, noun
- non·ex·cus·a·bly, adverb
- pre·ex·cuse, verb (used with object), pre·ex·cused, pre·ex·cus·ing.
- self-ex·cuse, noun
- self-ex·cused, adjective
- self-ex·cus·ing, adjective
- un·ex·cus·a·ble, adjective
- un·ex·cus·a·bly, adverb
- un·ex·cused, adjective
- un·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. 2024
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 PostUnder cover of the pandemic, and the excuse of India’s cratered economy, he continues to favor big business interests over the environment.
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 | ProPublicaThe answer is that we can make no excuse for our lateness to this realization.
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.
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
to pardon or forgive: he 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 leniently: to excuse someone's ignorance
to serve as an apology or explanation for; vindicate or justify: her age excuses her behaviour
to exempt from a task, obligation, etc: you are excused making breakfast
to dismiss or allow to leave: he asked them to excuse him
to seek permission for (someone, esp oneself) to leave: he 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
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
informal an inferior example of something specified; makeshift; substitute: she is a poor excuse for a hostess
the act of excusing
Origin of excuse
1Derived forms of excuse
- excusable, adjective
- excusableness, noun
- excusably, adverb
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
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