'Excuse' definitions:
Definition of 'excuse'
From: WordNet
noun
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" [syn: excuse, alibi, exculpation, self-justification]
noun
A note explaining an absence; "he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him"
noun
A poor example; "it was an apology for a meal"; "a poor excuse for an automobile" [syn: apology, excuse]
verb
Accept an excuse for; "Please excuse my dirty hands" [syn: excuse, pardon]
verb
Grant exemption or release to; "Please excuse me from this class" [syn: excuse, relieve, let off, exempt]
verb
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" [syn: excuse, explain]
verb
Defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success" [syn: apologize, apologise, excuse, justify, rationalize, rationalise]
verb
Ask for permission to be released from an engagement [syn: excuse, beg off]
verb
Excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities" [syn: excuse, condone]
Definition of 'Excuse'
From: GCIDE
- Excuse \Ex*cuse"\, n. [Cf. F. excuse. See Excuse, v. t.]
- 1. The act of excusing, apologizing, exculpating, pardoning, releasing, and the like; acquittal; release; absolution; justification; extenuation. [1913 Webster]
- Pleading so wisely in excuse of it. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 2. That which is offered as a reason for being excused; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault or irregular deportment; apology; as, an excuse for neglect of duty; excuses for delay of payment. [1913 Webster]
- Hence with denial vain and coy excuse. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
- 3. That which excuses; that which extenuates or justifies a fault. "It hath the excuse of youth." --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- If eyes were made for seeing. Then beauty is its own excuse for being. --Emerson.
- Syn: See Apology. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Excuse'
From: GCIDE
- Excuse \Ex*cuse"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Excused; p. pr. & vb. n. Excusing.] [OE. escusen, cusen, OF. escuser, excuser, F. excuser, fr. L. excusare; ex out + causa cause, causari to plead. See Cause.]
- 1. To free from accusation, or the imputation of fault or blame; to clear from guilt; to release from a charge; to justify by extenuating a fault; to exculpate; to absolve; to acquit. [1913 Webster]
- A man's persuasion that a thing is duty, will not excuse him from guilt in practicing it, if really and indeed it be against Gog's law. --Abp. Sharp. [1913 Webster]
- 2. To pardon, as a fault; to forgive entirely, or to admit to be little censurable, and to overlook; as, we excuse irregular conduct, when extraordinary circumstances appear to justify it. [1913 Webster]
- I must excuse what can not be amended. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 3. To regard with indulgence; to view leniently or to overlook; to pardon. [1913 Webster]
- And in our own (excuse some courtly stains.) No whiter page than Addison remains. --Pope. [1913 Webster]
- 4. To free from an impending obligation or duty; hence, to disengage; to dispense with; to release by favor; also, to remit by favor; not to exact; as, to excuse a forfeiture. [1913 Webster]
- I pray thee have me excused. --xiv. 19. [1913 Webster]
- 5. To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for. [1913 Webster]
- Think ye that we excuse ourselves to you? --2 Cor. xii. 19.
- Syn: To vindicate; exculpate; absolve; acquit.
- Usage: - To Pardon, Excuse, Forgive. A superior pardons as an act of mercy or generosity; either a superior or an equal excuses. A crime, great fault, or a grave offence, as one against law or morals, may be pardoned; a small fault, such as a failure in social or conventional obligations, slight omissions or neglects may be excused. Forgive relates to offenses against one's self, and punishment foregone; as, to forgive injuries or one who has injured us; to pardon grave offenses, crimes, and criminals; to excuse an act of forgetfulness, an unintentional offense. Pardon is also a word of courtesy employed in the sense of excuse. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'excuse'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- abject apology,
- absolution,
- absolve,
- acknowledgment,
- acquit,
- acquittal,
- acquittance,
- alibi,
- alibi out of,
- allow,
- amnesty,
- apologize for,
- apology,
- basis,
- be blind to,
- blind,
- breast-beating,
- cause,
- clear,
- clearance,
- clearing,
- cloak,
- color,
- compurgation,
- condonation,
- condone,
- confession,
- contrition,
- cop-out,
- cover,
- cover story,
- cover with excuses,
- cover-up,
- decontaminate,
- defence,
- defend,
- defense,
- destigmatization,
- destigmatize,
- destigmatizing,
- device,
- discharge,
- disculpation,
- dismiss,
- dismissal,
- dispense,
- dispense from,
- dispense with,
- disregard,
- escape,
- evasion,
- except,
- exculpate,
- exculpation,
- exempt,
- exempt from,
- exemption,
- exonerate,
- exoneration,
- explain,
- explanation,
- extenuate,
- extenuation,
- facade,
- feint,
- forgive,
- forgiveness,
- foundation,
- free,
- front,
- give absolution,
- give dispensation from,
- gloss,
- gloss over,
- grace,
- grant amnesty to,
- grant forgiveness,
- grant immunity,
- grant remission,
- grounds,
- guise,
- handle,
- heedlessness,
- ignore,
- immunity,
- indemnity,
- indulgence,
- justification,
- justify,
- lame excuse,
- let go,
- let off,
- liberate,
- lie out of,
- likely story,
- locus standi,
- loophole,
- make apology for,
- makeshift,
- mask,
- mea culpa,
- mitigate,
- mitigation,
- nonpros,
- offer excuse for,
- ostensible motive,
- out,
- overlook,
- palliate,
- palliation,
- pardon,
- pass over,
- penitence,
- permit,
- plea,
- plead ignorance,
- poor excuse,
- pretense,
- pretension,
- pretext,
- protestation,
- public motive,
- purgation,
- purge,
- purging,
- put-off,
- quash the charge,
- quietus,
- quittance,
- rational ground,
- rationale,
- rationalization,
- rationalize,
- reason,
- reason for,
- reason why,
- redemption,
- refuge,
- regrets,
- release,
- relieve,
- remise,
- remission,
- remission of sin,
- remit,
- reprieve,
- right,
- save the necessity,
- screen,
- semblance,
- set free,
- sham,
- shift,
- show,
- shrift,
- shrive,
- shrug off,
- smoke screen,
- spare,
- sparing,
- squirm out of,
- stalking-horse,
- stall,
- stated cause,
- stopgap,
- story,
- stratagem,
- substitute,
- subterfuge,
- the big idea,
- the idea,
- the whatfor,
- the wherefore,
- the why,
- trick,
- underlying reason,
- varnish,
- veil,
- verdict of acquittal,
- vindicate,
- vindication,
- warrant,
- way out,
- whitewash,
- wink at,
- withdraw the charge,
- worm out of