Meaning & Definition of Excuse in English

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 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"

• "A poor excuse for an automobile"

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"

• "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"

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, overlook, or make allowances for

• Be lenient with

• "Excuse someone's behavior"

• "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities"