excuse Hear it!

excuse Definition

ex·cuse (ek skyo̵̅o̅z′, ik-; for n., -skyo̵̅o̅s′)

transitive verb excused -·cused′, excusing -·cus′·ing

  1. to try to free (a person) of blame; seek to exonerate
  2. to try to minimize or pardon (a fault); apologize or give reasons for
  3. to consider (an offense or fault) as not important; overlook; pardon excuse my rudeness
  4. to release from an obligation, duty, promise, etc.
  5. to permit to leave
  6. to serve as an explanation or justification for; justify; exculpate; absolve a selfish act that nothing will excuse

Etymology: ME excusen < OFr escuser & L excusare, to free from a charge < L ex-, from + causa, a charge: see cause

noun

  1. a plea in defense of or explanation for some action or behavior; apology
  2. a release from obligation, duty, etc.
  3. something that excuses; extenuating or justifying factor
  4. a pretended reason for conduct; pretext
excuse Idioms

a poor excuse for

or a bad excuse for
a very inferior example of

excuse oneself

  1. to ask that one's fault be overlooked; apologize
  2. to ask for permission to leave

make one's excuses

to express one's regret over not being able to attend a social gathering, etc.
excuse Synonyms

excuse

n.

  1. An explanation

    apology, reason, defense; see explanation 2, justification.

  2. A pretended reason

    pretext, subterfuge, trick; see pretense 1, 2.

a poor excuse for

makeshift, sorry specimen, inferior example, mediocrity; see substitute.

make one's excuses

send regrets, beg off, apologize, offer an explanation; see apologize, refuse.

excuse Synonyms

excuse

v.

pardon, forgive, justify, discharge, vindicate, apologize for, release, free, set free, overlook, exempt, mitigate, extenuate, palliate, rationalize, acquit, condone, reprieve, remit, absolve, exonerate, exculpate, clear of, shrive, grant absolution, pass over, look the other way, shrug off, give as an excuse, make excuses for, make allowances for, make apologies for, let off, let go, permit to leave, dispense with, grant remission, remit a penalty for, grant amnesty, blot out one's sins, expunge the record of, purge, provide with an alibi, plead ignorance, whitewash*, let off the hook*, let off easy*, let off scot-free*, wink at*, wipe the slate clean*, take the rap for*, alibi*.

excuse Law Definition

n

A defense or justification of an individual’s act or failure to act; a defense in criminal law that an individual’s actions cannot constitute a crime because of coercion, or some other cause that places the actions beyond the individual’s volition or control.
excuse Usage Examples

Object

  • pun: I must admit that I haven't tackled ( excuse the pun!
  • spelling: Excuse all spelling [ ] as you can well fancy how I feel.

Converse of object

  • invent: Again he paused, and I could see that he was trying to invent an excuse.
  • mumble: I suddenly realize what I've done and mumbling some excuse, I stumble outside.
  • veil: I was out alone on another " cannon test " , which was the usual thinly veiled excuse to look for trouble.
  • find: The police then would find the excuse to charge the demo " .
  • make: Someone with bulimia nervosa will often make excuses to avoid eating with friends or family.

Adjective modifier

  • lame: And just in case you think that's a thoroughly lame excuse, we're not talking about the Queen Mother.
  • reasonable: Any decision to accept reasonable excuse will be based on all the circumstances of your individual case.
  • pathetic: Of course there may be pathetic emotional excuses for the act.
  • feeble: Claims that the icy pitch affected Arbroath more than the home side seemed a fairly feeble excuse.
  • lawful: It is an offense to have an article with a blade or point in a public place without good reason or lawful excuse.
  • flimsy: The songs atrophied until they were flimsy excuses for endless displays of guitar prowess.

Noun used with modifier

  • membersthat: For hourly employees address three basic medicare-active membersthat excuse it is blue cross blue shield of north carolina health insurance quote the.

Preposition: of

  • ignorance: It's a good thing that we get to see what's going on there so we don't have the excuse of ignorance.

Preposition: for

  • inaction: See also, answers to Question 8. One of the biggest barriers is the cycle of blame used as an excuse for inaction.
  • inactivity: It seems too old or too frail are no longer acceptable excuses for physical inactivity and most of us are not getting enough exercise.
  • delay: Surely there can be no further excuses for a delay in publishing and implementing the strategy?
  • failure: But that is no excuse for failure to match the greatest need with the highest standards of care.
  • invasion: And these attacks are a perfect excuse for more invasions, more laws, more restrictions.
excuse Quotes

Ignorance of the law excuses no man; not that all men know the law, but because 'tis an excuse every man will plead, and no man can tell how to confute him.

—Selden,John

I'm one of theundeserving poor†up agen middle-class moralityall the time† What is middle-class morality? Just an excuse for never giving me anything.

—Shaw, George Bernard

Today I see more clearly than yesterday that back of the problem of race and color, lies a greater problem which both obscures and implements it: and that isthefact that so many civilized persons are willing to live in comfort even if the price of this is poverty, ignorance and disease of the majority of their fellowmen; that to maintain this privilege men have waged war until today war tends to become universal and continuous, and the excuse for this war continues largely to be color and race.

—Du Bois,W(illiam) E(dward) B(urghardt)

Excuse My Dust.

—Parker, Dorothy ne¤  e Rothschild

Oh, the holiness of always being the injured party. The historically oppressed can find not only sanctity but safety in the state of victimization.When access to a better life has been denied often enough, and successfully enough, one can use the rejection as an excuse to cease all efforts.

—Angelou, Maya originally MayaJohnson