excuse
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: ĭkskyo͞os'
ipa: /ɪkˈskjuːs/
ipa: /ɛksˈkjuːs/
enpr: ĭkskyo͞os'
ipa: /ɪksˈkjus/
ipa: /ɛksˈkjus/
rhymes: -uːs
Forms: form: excuses
Etymology: From Middle English excusen (verb) and excuse (noun), borrowed from Old French escuser (verb) and excuse (noun), from Latin excūsō, excūsāre (“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), from ex (“out”) + causa (“a charge”); see cause, accuse and recuse. Displaced native Old English lād (“an excuse”) and lādian (“to excuse”).
Senses: examples: text: Tell me why you were late – and I don't want to hear any excuses!
text: I had to make an excuse for being late to the meeting.
text: And they all atonce begane to make excuſe. The fyrſt ſayd vnto him: I have bought a ferme / and I muſt nedes goo and ſe it / I praye the have me excuſed.
ref: 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Luke xiiij:[18], folio cj, recto:
text: 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 new excuse, another stupid reason
ref: 2024 April 5, Chappell Roan, Justin Tranter, Dan Nigro, “Good Luck, Babe!”performed by Chappell Roan:
glosses: An explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault.
topics: law
glosses: A defense to a criminal or civil charge wherein the accused party admits to doing acts for which legal consequences would normally be appropriate, but asserts that special circumstances relieve that party of culpability for having done those acts.
examples: text: That thing is a poor excuse for a gingerbread man. Hasn't anyone taught you how to bake?
text: He's a sorry excuse for a doctor.
text: What a fucking lame excuse for a man.
ref: 2008, Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap, London: Atlantic Books, page 131:
text: 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 whatever excuse for armor was present and detonated amidst the boiler rooms. She is doomed.
ref: 2018 October 17, Drachinifel, 15:10 from the start, in Last Ride of the High Seas Fleet - Battle of Texel 1918, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2022:
qualifier: especially sorry; poor; or lame; especially sorry; poor; or lame
glosses: An example of something that is substandard or of inferior quality.
raw_tags: with preceding negative adjective
Synonyms: sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: pretext release
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: clear
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: justify
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: forgive
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: tolerate
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: overlook
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: exempt
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: pardon
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: discharge
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: pretext
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: bear with
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: acquit
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: exonerate
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: absolve
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: pretense
sense: explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment
word: vindicate
Derived terms: abuse excuse
excusal
excuseflation
excuseless
Related terms: rationalization