FromMiddle Englishexcusen(verb) andexcuse(noun), borrowed fromOld Frenchescuser(verb) andexcuse(noun), fromLatinexcūsō, excūsāre(“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), fromex(“out”) +causa(“a charge”); seecause,accuse andrecuse. Displaced nativeOld Englishlād(“an excuse”) andlādian(“to excuse”).

Verb

• (UK)enPR:ĭkskyo͞oz',IPA^(key):/ɪkˈskjuːz/,/ɛksˈkjuːz/
• (US)enPR:ĭkskyo͞oz',IPA^(key):/ɪksˈkjuz/,/ɛksˈkjuz/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-uːz

Noun

• (UK)enPR:ĭkskyo͞os',IPA^(key):/ɪkˈskjuːs/,/ɛksˈkjuːs/
• (US)enPR:ĭkskyo͞os',IPA^(key):/ɪksˈkjus/,/ɛksˈkjus/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-uːs

excuse (third-person singular simple presentexcuses,present participleexcusing,simple past and past participleexcused)

1. (transitive) Toforgive; topardon; tooverlook.

   Iexcused him his transgressions.

   • c.1608–1609 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act IV, scene vii],page25, column 1:

     Yet his Nature / In that’s no Changeling, and I muſtexcuſe / What cannot be amended.

   • c.1685,John Sharp,A Discourse of Conscience:

     If they say that he did sin in doing this, then they must at the same time acknowledge that a man's persuasion that a thing is a duty will notexcuse him from guilt in practising it

2. (transitive) To allow to leave, or release from anyobligation.

   May I beexcused from the table?

   Iexcused myself from the proceedings to think over what I'd heard.

3. (transitive) To provide an excuse for; to justify.

   You know he shouldn't have done it, so don't try toexcuse his behavior!

   • c.1503–1512,John Skelton,Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood, editor,John Skelton: The Complete English Poems,1983,→OCLC, page62, lines6–7:

     They cannot beexcusyd
     By reason nor by law;[…]

4. To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.],The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany:Peter Schöffer],→OCLC,2 Corinthians xij:[19],folio ccxlvj, verso:

     Agayne / thynke ye that weexcuſe oure ſelves? we ſpeake in Chriſt in the ſight of God. But we do all thyngꝭ dearly beloved for youre edifyinge.

   • 1705,Thomas à Kempis (unknown translator),The Christian’s Pattern: or, A Treatise of the Imitation of Jesus Christ, London: T. C. Hansard, […], published1831,page54:

     It were more meet that thou didst accuse thy self, andexcusedst thy Brother.

• (to release from guilt, shame, or punishment):forgive,let off the hook,let pass,pardon,unguilt

• (antonym(s) of“to release from guilt, shame, or punishment”):blame,punish

excuse (countable anduncountable,pluralexcuses)

1. (countable,uncountable) Anexplanationdesigned toavoid oralleviateguilt ornegativejudgment; apleaoffered inextenuation of afault.

   Tell me why you were late – and I don't want to hear anyexcuses!

   I had to make anexcuse for being late to the meeting.

   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.],The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany:Peter Schöffer],→OCLC,Luke xiiij:[18],folio cj, recto:

     And they all atonce begane to makeexcuſe. The fyrſt ſayd vnto him: I have bought a ferme / and I muſt nedes goo and ſe it / I praye the have me excuſed.

   • 2024 April 5,Chappell Roan,Justin Tranter,Dan Nigro, “Good Luck, Babe!”‎^[1]performed by Chappell Roan:

     You can kiss a hundred boys in bars
     Shoot another shot, try to stop the feeling
     You can say it's just the way you are
     Make a newexcuse, another stupid reason

2. (law) Adefense to acriminal orcivilcharge wherein theaccusedpartyadmits to doingacts for whichlegalconsequences wouldnormally beappropriate, butasserts thatspecialcircumstancesrelieve that party ofculpability for having done those acts.
3. (often with preceding negative adjective, especiallysorry,poor, orlame) Anexample of something that issubstandard or ofinferiorquality.

   That thing is a poorexcuse for a gingerbread man. Hasn't anyone taught you how to bake?

   He's a sorryexcuse for a doctor.

   • 2008, Christos Tsiolkas,The Slap, London: Atlantic Books, page131:

     What a fucking lameexcuse for a man.

   • 2018 October 17, Drachinifel, 15:10 from the start, inLast Ride of the High Seas Fleet - Battle of Texel 1918‎^[2], archived fromthe original on4 August 2022:

     Seydlitz correctly identifies the larger shell splashes as coming from the two "large light cruisers" at the rear, and takes aim. Moments later,Courageous sheers out of line, smoke and steam venting through a massive hole in her side, the shells having blasted right through whateverexcuse for armor was present and detonated amidst the boiler rooms. She is doomed.

• We often saytomake an excuse.

• (explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment):pretext release, clear, justify, forgive, tolerate, overlook, exempt, pardon, discharge, pretext, bear with, acquit, exonerate, absolve, pretense, vindicate.

• rationalization

• “excuse”, inWebster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.:G. & C. Merriam,1913,→OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney,Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “excuse”, inThe Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.:The Century Co.,→OCLC.

Deverbal fromexcuser.

• IPA^(key):/ɛk.skyz/

  • Audio:

    (file)

• (colloquial)IPA^(key):/ɛs.kyz/

excuse f (pluralexcuses)

1. excuse

excuse

1. inflection ofexcuser:
   1. first/third-personsingularpresentindicative/subjunctive
   2. second-personsingularimperative

• “excuse”, inTrésor de la langue française informatisé[Digitized Treasury of the French Language],2012.

excūse

1. vocativemasculinesingular ofexcūsus

excuse

1. inflection ofexcusar:
   1. first/third-personsingularpresentsubjunctive
   2. third-personsingularimperative