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excuse - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'excuse' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Excuse [ v. t.]
- 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.
- 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.
- To regard with indulgence; to view leniently or to overlook; to pardon.
- 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.
- To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
- The act of excusing, apologizing, exculpating, pardoning, releasing, and the like; acquittal; release; absolution; justification; extenuation.
- 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.
- That which excuses; that which extenuates or justifies a fault.

Meaning of 'excuse' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . excuse [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a poor example
Example in sentence:
  • a poor excuse for an automobile;
  • it was an apology for a meal
Meaning (2):
- a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
Example in sentence:
  • every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job;
  • he kept finding excuses to stay;
  • his transparent self-justification was unacceptable
Meaning (3):
- a note explaining an absence
Example in sentence:
  • he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him
4 . excuse [ v]
Meaning (4):
- excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with
Example in sentence:
  • excuse someone's behavior;
  • She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities
Meaning (5):
- defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
Example in sentence:
  • he rationalized his lack of success;
  • rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior
Meaning (6):
- serve as a reason or cause or justification of
Example in sentence:
  • Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again;
  • Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work
Meaning (7):
- grant exemption or release to
Example in sentence:
  • Please excuse me from this class
Meaning (8):
- accept an excuse for
Example in sentence:
  • Please excuse my dirty hands

Nearby Words:

excalceate excalceation excalfaction excalfactive excalfactory excalibur excamb excambie excambion excambium

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