Excuse

Definition: Excuse

Excuse

Noun

1. A defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable".

2. A poor example; "it was an apology for a meal"; "a poor excuse for an automobile".

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 an excuse for.

4. Defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success".

5. Ask for permission to be released from an engagement.

6. Excuse or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "excuse" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Synonyms: Excuse

Dissuasion

Verb: pretend, plead, allege; shelter oneself under the plea of; excuse; (vindicate); lend a color to; furnish a handle; Noun: make a pretext of, make a handle of; use as a plea; Noun: take one's stand upon, make capital out of, pretend; (lie).

Pretense; (untruth); put off, dust thrown in the eyes; blind; moonshine; mere pretext, shallow pretext; lame excuse, lame apology; tub to a whale; false plea, sour grapes; makeshift, shift, white lie; special pleading; (sophistry); soft sawder; (flattery).

Noun: pretext, pretense, pretension, plea; allegation, advocation; ostensible motive, ostensible ground, ostensible reason, phony reason; excuse; (vindication); subterfuge; color; gloss, guise, cover.

Exemption

Verb: not have; be without; Adjective: excuse.

Noun: exemption, freedom, irresponsibility, immunity, liberty, license, release, exoneration, excuse, dispensation, absolution, franchise, renunciation, discharge; exculpation. Verb: be exempt; Adjective:

Exempt, release, acquit, discharge, quitclaim, remise, remit; free, set at liberty, let off, pass over, spare, excuse, dispense with, give dispensation, license; stretch a point; absolve; (forgive); exonerate; (exculpate); save the necessity.

Forgiveness

Verb: forgive, forgive and forget; pardon, condone, think no more of, let bygones be bygones, shake hands; forget an injury. excuse, pass over, overlook; wink at; (neglect); bear with; allow for, make allowances for; let one down easily, not be too hard upon, pocket the affront.

Excuse, exoneration, quittance, release, indemnity; bill of indemnity, act of indemnity, covenant of indemnity, deed of indemnity; exculpation; (acquittal).

Vice

Adverb: wrong; sinfully; Adjective: without excuse.

Vindication

Extenuate, palliate, excuse, soften, apologize, varnish, slur, gloze; put a gloss, put a good face upon; mince; gloss over, bolster up, help a lame dog over a stile.

Apology, gloss, varnish; plea; salvo; excuse, extenuating circumstances; allowance, allowance to be made; locus paenitentiae.

Verb: justify, warrant; be an excuse; n.for; lend a color, furnish a handle; vindicate; exculpate, disculpate; acquit; clear, set right, exonerate, whitewash; clear the skirts of.

Crosswords: Excuse

French (alibi, apology, appreciation, cop, excuse, excuse me, peg, plea, pretence, pretext, sorry), Pidgin English (to please).

Have I stepped over some line in the sands of coolness with you, because excuse me if somebody doesn't know the secret handshake with you. (Reality Bites; writing credit: Ben Stiller, written by Helen Childress.)

Uh, excuse me. Mark it zero (The Big Lebowski; writing credit: Ethan Coen; Joel Coen)

Excuse me. I'm not getting any of my mail, nothing has been filed (Big; writing credit: Gary Ross; Anne Spielberg)

If you'll excuse me Master (Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones; writing credit: George Lucas)

Sir, excuse for what Sir (Full Metal Jacket; writing credit: Gustav Hasford; Michael Herr)

I know that there is no excuse (Never Keeping Secrets; performing artist: Babyface; writing credit: Babyface)

Please excuse, if I come across rude (No Diggity; performing artist: Blackstreet)

That's no excuse to be livin' all crazy, (What Would You Do; performing artist: City High)

Well, excuse me, but I think you've got my chair (The Chair; performing artist: George Strait)

Well excuse me, guess I've mistakened you for somebody else (Foolish Games; performing artist: Jewel)

Never let a problem become an excuse! (references; author: unknown)

Luck is a loser's excuse for a winner's position! (references; author: unknown)

A politician will find an excuse to get out of anything, except office. (references; author: unknown)

Excuse My French (1974)

Snow Excuse (1966)

Excuse My Dust (1951)

Sir Excuse Me (1934)

The Newlyweds' Excuse (1929)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Excuse Me!: A Little Book of Manners (reference)

• Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting : The Astonishing Power of Feelings (reference)

• No Excuse! Key Principles for Balancing Life and Achieving Success (reference)

• Ranger School, No Excuse Leadership (reference)

• The Berenstain Bears and the Excuse Note (First Time Books) (reference)

  (more book examples)

Music

• Excuse 17 (reference)

• God Is an Excuse (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech

• The Best Excuse [DOWNLOAD] (reference)

  (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Noise extracted without pain : waiter (to single gentleman): excuse me, sir, but that lady and gentleman wish me to recommend to you one of those new Maxim soup silencers. Credit: Library of Congress.

Lady, making up: You'll excuse me won't you? : Go to it, lady, go to it! : I'm a black-face comedian, meself. Credit: Library of Congress.

Everybody does it : the national excuse. Credit: Library of Congress.

His one possible excuse. Credit: Library of Congress.

Good gracious William! have we no insect powder? : Excuse me, ma'am, it's ... Credit: Library of Congress.

Lady: Oh! excuse me sir! did I step on your toes? : Fat man (sadly): Ah! no, no, Miss, I'm afraid not!. Credit: Library of Congress.

Roll call at a German concentration camp (from a Nazi photograph). Two prisoners in the foreground are supporting a comrade, as fainting was frequently an excuse for the guards to "liquidate" useless inmates / Joint Distribution Committee photo. Credit: Library of Congress.

Sign hanging from neck of African American boy "I'm to young to vote--What is your excuse". Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Is it reasonable, that the eldest brother, because he has the greatest part of his father's estate, should thereby have a right to take away any of his younger brothers portions? or that a rich man, who possessed a whole country, should from thence have a right to seize, when he pleased, the cottage and garden of his poor neighbour? The being rightfully possessed of great power and riches, exceedingly beyond the greatest part of the sons of Adam, is so far from being an excuse, much less a reason, for rapine and oppression, which the endamaging another without authority is, that it is a great aggravation of it: for the exceeding the bounds of authority is no more a right in a great, than in a petty officer; no more justifiable in a king than a constable; but is so much the worse in him, in that he has more trust put in him, has already a much greater share than the rest of his brethren, and is supposed, from the advantages of his education, employment, and counsellors, to be more knowing in the measures of right and wrong. (Second Treatise of Government)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

But, upon my word, Mr. Elton, in your case, I should certainly excuse myself

Er, excuse me, who am I

He seemed to be thoughtfully seeking, beyond the apparent life, for its cause, its explanation, or its excuse.

You can say that I excuse you from your lessons for a few days

Little girls, like butterflies, need no excuse.

Fairer than tongue can name thee, let me have Some patient leisure to excuse myself

I stayed till sunset, but humbly desired his Highness to excuse me for not accepting his invitation of lodging in the palace

As for fowling, during the last years that I carried a gun my excuse was that I was studying ornithology, and sought only new or rare birds

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Business

Distance from the market is no excuse to a customer with a problem. (references)

Children

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Local education officials excuse such abuses by claiming that minority children should have their own schools and curricula. (references)

Civil Liberties

Eritrea

The Government does not excuse individuals who object to national service for religious reasons or reasons of conscience, nor does the Government allow alternative service. (references)

Panama

In November 2000, the Legislative Assembly amended Article 70 of the Solicitor General's Organic Law that regulated press access to files to read that the confidential classification of a given piece of information must be established objectively and pursuant to conditions contained in the existing laws, to prevent public officials from denying the release of information under the excuse of limited access. (references)

Economic History

Venezuela

Later, it was difficult to collect payment, as the excuse was that the terms of the contract were not followed. (references)

Bangladesh

Generally, the civil service, businesses, professionals, trade unions and political parties have vested interests in a system in which confidentiality is used as an excuse for lack of transparency, and in which patron-client relationships are the norm. (references)

Human Rights

Rwanda

There were no reports that the Government used rebel incursions as an excuse to attack illegitimate targets. (references)

Worker Rights

Ghana

However, often an excuse is found to fire the housemaid before such apprenticeship begins. (references)

Vietnam

However, the ordinance permits citizens to excuse themselves from this obligation by finding a substitute or paying a fee. (references)

United Arab Emirates

According to a newspaper report published in May, a 6-year old Pakistani boy who had been trafficked to the country along with his family died of severe head injuries allegedly caused by "a fall"--an excuse sometimes given to hospital personnel when injuries are sustained from camel jockeying. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expressions using "excuse": admit of no excuse ♦ be absent without excuse ♦ concoct an excuse ♦ excuse me ♦ excuse me! ♦ excuse my back ♦ excuse my being late ♦ excuse oneself ♦ excuse oneself for smth. ♦ excuse onself ♦ feign an excuse ♦ find excuse ♦ give an excuse ♦ give as excuse ♦ grab at any excuse ♦ it admits of no excuse ♦ lame excuse ♦ make an excuse ♦ offer an excuse ♦ plead as an excuse ♦ poor excuse ♦ provide an excuse ♦ sorry excuse ♦ there's no excuse for it ♦ thin excuse ♦ use smth. as an excuse ♦ valid excuse ♦ without excuse. Additional references.

Beginning with "excuse": excuse-a, excuse-me, excuse-seekers.

Ending with "excuse": self-excuse, shoulder-excuse.

Afrikaans

verskoon my (excuse me), verskoon. (various references)

Albanian

shfajësim (acquittal, apology, clearing, discharge, exculpation, justification, plea, vindication), përligjje (justification, vindication, warrant), liroj (acquit, cast off, cheapen, detach, discharge, disengage, dismiss, ease, free, free oneself, let go, let loose, liberate, loose, loosen, pay, pay out, relax, release, slack, slacken, unbind, unstring, vacate), kërkoj ndjesë (give an excuse), justifikoj (defend, exculpate, extenuate, justify, not fail to, warrant), justifikohem, justifikim (alibi, allowance, defence, defense, exculpation, extenuation, justification, plea, warrant), falje (absolution, amnesty, forgiveness, mercy, pardon, remission), fal (amnesty, condone, forgive, give, give away, incline, lend, pardon, pray, remit, set, switch off). (various references)

Arabic 

‏معذرة (pardon me), ‏مبرر (good reason, justification, justificative, justificatory, reasonable grounds, warrant, warrantable), ‏غفر (absolve, condone, forgive, pardon, remit), ‏حجة (allegation, argument, case, document, instrument, plea, pretence, pretension, pretext, proofing, reasoning), ‏تغاضى (condone, connive, disregard, forget, look over, overlook, part with, pass, pass over, slur, wink), ‏تجاوز (cap, encroach, encroachment, exceed, jut, leapfrog, obtrude, omission, outbalance, outmatch, outrun, outstrip, overreach, override, overrun, overtake, overtaking, pass, passing, project, rise, span, surpass, transcend, transcendence, transgress, trespass), ‏سماح (forgiveness, legalization, permissiveness, permitting, say so), ‏عفا (absolve, efface, exempt, forgive, frank, pardon), ‏عذر (alibi, justification, plea, pretext), ‏صفح (amnesty, condone, forgive, forgiveness, laminate, pardon, plate, remission), ‏إغتفر, ‏إعتذر (apologise, apologize, beg, eat one's words), ‏برر (justify, rationalize, sanctify, substantiate, vindicate, warrant). (various references)

Basque

atxakia (apology). (various references)

Bavarian

oha (excuse me), dschuings (excuse me). (various references)

Breton

tigarez. (various references)

Bulgarian 

оправдавам (acquit, authorise, authorize, exculpate, exonerate, fulfill, justify, legitimate, purge, sanctify, vindicate, warrant), оправдание (absolution, acquittal, justification, plea, vindication, warrant), нещо неудачно, прощавам (absolve, forgive, overlook, pardon), претекст (alibi, color, colour, come off, peg, plea, pretence, pretense, pretext, put off, salvo, stalking horse, subterfuge), предлог (handle, plea, preposition, pretence, pretense, pretext), причина (account, cause, factor, occasion, parent, reason, room, score, spring, subject, why), извинявам (justify, overlook, palliate, pardon), извинение (alibi, apology, extenuation, justification, pardon, peg, put off). (various references)

Catalan

perdoni'm (excuse me). (various references)

Chinese 

借口 (pretext). (various references)

Croatian

isprièavam (apologize). (various references)

Czech

záminka (blind, handle, pretense, pretext), výmluva (pretext, tergiversation), prominout (condone, forgive, overlook, palliate, pardon, remit), promiòte (beg your pardon, excuse me, pardon me, sorry), omluvit (exculpate), omluva (apology, exculpation, justification). (various references)

Danish

undskylde. (various references)

Dutch

verontschuldigen. (various references)

Esperanto

ekskuzi, senkulpigi. (various references)

Estonian

vabandage (excuse me). (various references)

Faeroese

umbera (absolve, forgive, pardon), orsaka (activate, cause, give rise to). (various references)

Farsi 

معذورداشتن , معذرت خواستن (Apologize, Pardon), معاف کردن (Dismiss, Dispense, Exempt, Frank, Remit), تبرءه کردن (Acquit, Cleanse, Clear, Exonerate, Purge), عذر (Alibi, Peg, Plea, Pretext, Purporst, Subterfuge), دستاویز (Document, Pretext, Voucher), بهانه (Alibi, Evasion, Fetch, Fiction, Mask, Peg, Plea, Pretense, Pretext, Purporst, Subterfuge). (various references)

Finnish

estely (objection, pretence, pretext), veruke (evasion, pretext, subterfuge), suoda anteeksi (make allowance), puolustus (defence), anteeksipyyntö (apology). (various references)

Flemish

excuseert, excuseer. (various references)

French

excuser (find excuse), excusez, excuse (excuse me). (various references)

French Canadian

excusez-moi (excuse me). (various references)

Galician

perdoe. (various references)

German

entschuldigung (apology, excuse me, pardon, pardon me, sorry), entschuldigen (absolve, apologize, exculpate, extenuate, forgive, pardon, to apologize, to exculpate, to excuse). (various references)

Greek 

συγχωρώ (absolve, condone, forgive, pardon, remit), δικαιολογία (alibi, apology, justification, plea). (various references)

Haitian Creole

eskize. (various references)

Hebrew 

להצדיק (acquit, approve, justify, legitimate, vindicate, warrant), לסלוח (condone, forgive, palliate, pardon), תואנה (occasion, opportunity, pretext, subterfuge), תרוץ (pretence, pretext), אמתלה (pretext, stalking horse), התנצלות (apology), הצדק (justification), הצטדקות (apology, self justification), סליחה (forgiveness, indulgence, palliation, pardon). (various references)

Hungarian

mentség (justification, subterfuge), igazolás (acknowledgement, approbation, authentication, certificate, certification, confirmation, demonstration, exculpation, making of an excuse, substantiation, tracking, verification), kifogás (alibi, caveat, censure, evasion, exception, kick, mask, objection, plea, pretension, pretext, remonstrance, shabby excuse, stalking horse, stricture, subterfuge), ürügy (evasion, false allegation, handle, pretence, pretense, pretension, shift, shuffle, stalking horse, subterfuge). (various references)

Icelandic

afsakið (excuse me). (various references)

Indonesian

elahan (pretext), permintaan maaf (apology), minta maaf (apologize), dalih (preter, pretext), alasan (dodge, ground, motivation, reason). (various references)

Italian

scusare (apologize, extenuate, forgive, justify, justify oneself, make one's excuses, pardon), scusa (alibi, apology, excuse me, pardon, plea, pretence, pretense, sorry, subterfuge). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

申し訳　 (apology), 切掛 (chance, cue, impetus, motive, occasion, start), 付かたり (accessory, addition, appendage, appendix, complement, supplement), 口実 , 口実　, 出し (broth, dupe, front man, pretense, pretext, stock), 弁明 (apology, explanation, vindication), 弁疏 (defense, plea), 切っ掛け (chance, cue, impetus, motive, occasion, start), 申し訳 (apology), 辞柄 (pretext), 言い分 (complaint, one's point, one's say), 言い訳 (explanation), 言い訳　 (explanation), 言訳 (explanation), 託言 (plea, pretext), 謝り (apology), 自己弁護 (self-justification), 逃げ口上 (evasive answer), 弁解 (defence, explanation, justification). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

たくげん (plea, pretext), きっかけ (chance, cue, impetus, motive, occasion, start), べんかい (defence, explanation, justification), べんめい (apology, explanation, vindication), べんそ (defense, plea), つかたり (accessory, addition, appendage, appendix, complement, supplement), にげこうじょう (evasive answer), いいぶん (complaint, one's point, one's say), いいわけ (explanation), こうじつ, あやまり (apology, error, mistake), もうしわけ (apology), じこべんご (self-justification), じへい (evils of the times, pretext), だし (broth, dupe, festival car, front man, pretense, pretext, soup stock, stock). (various references)

Korean 

변명. (various references)

Luxembourgish

entschëllegt (excuse me), pardon (excuse me). (various references)

Malagasy

azafady (excuse me / pardon me). (various references)

Manx

maihaghey (absolve, amortize; amortization, condone, forgive, forgiving, let off, pardon, pardoning), leshtal (apology, mitigation, plea, pretence, pretext), leih (absolution, absolve, forgive, forgiveness, forgiving, pardon, remission). (various references)

Norwegian

unnskyldning, unnskylde (extenuate), unnskyld (excuse me), frita (exempt). (various references)

Occitan

excusa (apology). (various references)

Papiamen

diskulpá (apologize). (various references)

Pig Latin

excuseay.(various references)

Polish

uniewinniać. (various references)

Portuguese

desculpa (apology, evasion, exculpation, justification, out, plea, pretext, satisfaction). (various references)

Portuguese Brazilian

desculpe-me (excuse me). (various references)

Quechua

desculpariway (please excuse me). (various references)

Romanian

scuzã (apology, pardon, plea, pretence, pretext), scuza (absolve, apologize, condone, forgive, gloze, justify, pardon), scuti (absolve, disengage, dispense, exempt, forgive, free, privilege, release, relieve, remit, save, spare), pretext (blind, color, colour, cover, ground, guise, handle, mask, occasion, pretence, pretext, veil), justificare (apology, evidence, exculpation, justification, vindication, warrant), iertare (absolution, acquittal, apology, condonation, forgiveness, forgiving, grace, mercy, pardon, remise, remission, remitment, sparing), ierta (absolve, acquit, allow, apologize, condone, forgive, pardon, permit, remise, remit, shrive, spare), absolvire (absolution, acquittal, acquittance, exoneration, forgiveness, graduation, release), absolvi (absolve, acquit, exempt, exonerate, forgive, graduate, indulge, pass out, release). (various references)

Russian 

служить оправданием (constitute justification), освобождение (deallocation, deliverance, discharge, disengagement, dismissal, dismission, emancipation, enfranchisement, exemption, liberation, manumission, quittance, release, relief, vacation), освобождать (absolve, acquit, affranchise, clear, deallocate, deliver, disembarrass, dismiss, emancipate, enfranchise, enlarge, exonerate, free up, let out, liberate, loosing, make free, make room, manumit, release, relieve, relinquish, rid, set at large, set free, unallocate, unbind, unchain, unfetter, uninstall, unshackle, vacate, vacated, vacating, vocate), отговорка (cloak, come-off, pretence, pretense, stalking-horse), оправдывать (acquit, exculpate, explain, give an excuse, justify, vindicate, vindicated, vindicating, warrant), оправдание (absolution, acquittal, alibi, defences, defenses, exculpation, exoneration, explanation, justification, plea, reason), прощать (absolve, condone, forgave, forgive, forgiven, overlook, release, remit), предлог (cloak, cover up, preposition, stalking-horse), извинять извинение, извинять (justify, palliate), извинение (apology, extenuation, pardon). (various references)

Scottish

leisgeul (pretence; also lethsgeul). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

razlog (cause, motive, reason, why), opravdati (account, acquit, clear, justify, legitimate, vindicate, warrant), opravdanje (justification, legitimacy, vindication, warranty), izvinjenje (apology, pardon), izviniti (pardon), izgovor (elusion, loophole, loop-hole, plea, pretence, pretense, pretension, pretext, pronunciation). (various references)

Slovene

oprostite (excuse me). (various references)

Somali

raalli. (various references)

Sotho

tshwarelo (excuse me, forgiveness). (various references)

Spanish

excusar (apologize, avoid, exempt, prevent, spare), excusa (alibi, apology, excuse me, plea, sorry). (various references)

Swahili

hebu (excuse me). (various references)

Swedish

ursäkta (be sorry, excuse me, justify, pardon, pardon me, sorry), urskulda (exculpate, justify), ursäkt (alibi, apology, extenuation, pretext), undanflykt (dodgery, evasion, pretext, prevarication, subterfuge, tergiversation), förlåt (beg your pardon, excuse me, forgive, I`m sorry, i'm sorry, pardon me, veil), förfall (breakup, decadence, decadency, decay, declension, degeneration, degradation, deterioration, dilapidation, disrepair, ebb, hindrance), förevändning (pretence, pretense, pretext, put off). (various references)

Tagalog

ipagpaumanhin. (various references)

Tswana

maswabi (excuse me, unfortunately). (various references)

Turkish

affetmek (absolve, condone, dismiss, forgive, pardon, release, remit). (various references)

Turkmen 

bahana. (various references)

Ukrainian

відмовка (come off, pretence, pretense), вибачення (apology, regrets), вибачати (pardon), виправдання (absolution, acquittal, acquittance, alibi, allowance, apology, defence, defense, exculpation, explanation, justification, palliation, warrant, warranty, whitewash), бути виправданням, прощати (absolve, amnesty, overlook, pardon, remit), пробачення (extenuation, pardon, remission). (various references)

Vietnamese 

lý do để xin lỗi lời bào chữa, lý do để bào chữa sự miễn cho, lời xin lỗi. (various references)

Welsh

esgusodi, esgusawd (apology), esgus (pretext), diheuro (apologize). (various references)

Wolof

jéggël (to excuse). (various references)

Zulu

-xolisa (ask forgiveness, excuse oneself), nxephe (excuse me), ngiyaxolisa (excuse me). (various references)

excusare, excusatio, excusatione, excusationem, excusationes, excusatus, excusaverunt, excusemus, excuso, excussio, indulgeo, propurga, purga, purgabis, purgabit, purgans, purgaret, purgat, purgato, purgatum, purgavit, purgavitque, purgetur. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.