Definition of excuse - Reverso English Dictionary
Verb
1.
justify faulttr. provide a reason for a fault or mistaketr.
- She excused her tardiness by blaming the traffic..
2.
responsibilitytr. release someone from a dutytr.
- He was excused from jury duty due to a scheduling conflict..
3.
allow behaviortr. make allowances for someone's behaviortr.
- We should excuse her nervousness during the speech.
4.
mannersintr. ask for permission to leave a place or situationintr.
- He excused himself from the meeting.
Noun
1.
responsibilityUS note explaining an absence from an obligationUS
- She handed in an excuse for missing school.
2.
justificationreason given to explain or justify an action
- He gave an excuse for being late.
3.
pardonact of excusing or pardoning a fault
- His excuse was accepted by the teacher.
4.
qualitysomething of inferior quality or a poor example
- That excuse of a meal was barely edible.
5.
legalTECH. defense in legal context to avoid culpabilityTECH.
- The lawyer presented an excuse for his client's actions.
Expressions with excuse
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humorous response to a minor social faux pas
When he burped loudly, she laughed and said, 'Excuse you!'.
series of excuses given repeatedly
He gave one excuse after another for being late.
reason given to avoid doing something
He said he was busy, but it's only an excuse.
apologize for using offensive language
Oops, excuse my French, that was a slip.
apologize for someone's rude or offensive words
He said a bad word and then excused his French.
lack of knowledge doesn't absolve from consequences
She missed the deadline, but ignorance is no excuse.
very poor example of something
That was a sorry excuse for a meal.
quickly seize an excuse to justify actions
She fastened upon an excuse for her tardiness.
not knowing rules does not remove responsibility for breaking them
The judge reminded them that ignorance of the law is no excuse.
used to apologize for a minor fault
Excuse me, I didn't mean to bump into you.
apologize for the untidiness of a place
Please excuse the mess, we just moved in.
reason given to avoid something
He used a convenient excuse to skip the meeting.
say sorry before asking something possibly rude or personal
Excuse me for asking, but how old are you?
provide a reason to explain a mistake
She made an excuse for her late arrival.
weak or inadequate justification
His lateness was a poor excuse for missing the meeting.
familiar reason used again to avoid blame or responsibility
He gave me the same old excuse for being late again.
no reason justifies a specific action or behavior
There's no excuse for being rude to customers.
provide a reason or explanation for something
He excuses his absence with a doctor's note.
weak reason given to avoid blame or responsibility
He gave a flimsy excuse for being late.
reason accepted as true and reasonable
He had a valid excuse for missing the meeting.
false reason given to avoid something
He gave a bogus excuse to skip the meeting.
ask forgiveness for using bad words
Excuse my language, but that was ridiculous.
apologize for one's actions
He excused himself for being late.
used to politely acknowledge a bold statement
If you'll excuse my presumption, I think you should try again.
Origin of excuse
Latin, excusare (to free from blame)
Terms with excuse included in their meaning
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avoid consequences
excuse someone from a duty or punishment
imagination
invent a story or excuse that is not true
storytelling
invent a story or excuse
polite apology
use in polite expressions to excuse oneself
social
provide an excuse or support to hide someone's actions
rejection
refuse to accept an excuse or behavior
repetition
frequently repeated story or excuse
communication
situation or excuse repeated so often it is boring
ignore deliberately
excuse or disregard an error or fault
human error
excuse mistakes as natural parts of being people
reject excuse
express that an excuse or idea is not acceptable or believable
sarcasm
expression of disbelief in a story or excuse
disappointed excuse
said when people call wanted things bad after failing to get them
exemption
excuse someone from a duty or requirement
cover story
excuse to avoid blame or responsibility
excuse oneself
ask to be excused from an obligation
excusing behavior
used to excuse or justify boys' mischief or roughness
disbelief
reject a statement or excuse as untrue
forgiveness
use to forgive or excuse someone's mistake
reputation
action or excuse preventing damage to reputation
communication
give someone an excuse or story
avoidance
possess an excuse or reason to avoid something
unforgivable
impossible to justify or excuse
apology
excuse my use of offensive language
Examples of excuse in a sentence
They excused the error due to a technical glitch. She was excused from the meeting due to illness. Students were excused from the test if they had a valid reason. Please excuse his lateness; the traffic was terrible. We must excuse their lack of experience in this field. She excused herself to take an important call.
I excused myself from the dinner table politely. He wrote an excuse for his absence from the meeting. The doctor provided an excuse for her missed appointment. She always has an excuse for her behavior. His excuse didn't convince anyone at the meeting. She gave a flimsy excuse for being late. His excuse didn't convince the principal. This flimsy chair is an excuse for furniture. They served an excuse for coffee at the station. The defendant's excuse was scrutinized by the jury. Her excuse was deemed insufficient by the court.
View all translations of excuse
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:excuser, mot d'excuse, ...
- German:entschuldigen, Entschuldigung, ...
- Italian:scusare, giustificazione, ...
- Spanish:justificar, excusa, ...
- Portuguese:justificar, justificação, ...
- Chinese:找借口, 请假条, ...
- Japanese:正当化する, 言い訳, ...
- Arabic:بَرَّرَ, عُذْر, ...
- Hebrew:לְהַצְדִּיק, תֵּירוּץ, ...
- Russian:оправдать, записка, ...
- Ukrainian:виправдовувати, пояснювальна записка, ...
- Hindi:बहाना बनाना, अनुपस्थिति-पत्र, ...
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