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Book Glossary

excuse

noun and verb · /noun: ik-SKYOOS; verb: ik-SKYOOZ/

An excuse is a reason someone gives for doing something or not doing something. To excuse someone can mean to forgive them or let them leave.

In a sentence

  • "Mia’s excuse for being late was that her puppy hid her shoe under the couch."
  • "Dad excused Leo from the table after he finished his peas."

Books where you'll see it

Dictionary definition · excuse

noun

  1. a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc."he kept finding excuses to stay"
  2. a note explaining an absence"he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him"
  3. a poor example"it was an apology for a meal"

verb

  1. accept an excuse for"Please excuse my dirty hands"
  2. grant exemption or release to"Please excuse me from this class"
  3. serve as a reason or cause or justification of"Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"
  4. defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning"rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"
  5. ask for permission to be released from an engagement
  6. excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with"excuse someone's behavior"

Similar words

alibiexculpationself-justificationpardonexemptlet offrelieveapologyexplainapologise

Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).