excuse
/iks'kju:z/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A reason or explanation given to justify a fault or offense: An "excuse" is a statement offered to explain or defend one's actions, especially when those actions are perceived as wrong or inappropriate.
- A poor or inadequate example of something: An "excuse" can refer to something that is a very bad or unsatisfactory version of what it is supposed to be.
- A note or message explaining an absence: In formal contexts like school or work, an "excuse" is a written explanation for why someone was not present.
Verb:
- To forgive or overlook a fault: To "excuse" someone means to pardon them for a minor mistake or social error.
- To serve as a justification or reason for: To "excuse" an action means to provide an acceptable reason that explains or defends it.
- To release someone from a duty or obligation: To "excuse" someone means to formally grant them permission not to do something they were supposed to do.
- To attempt to lessen the blame for; to defend: To "excuse" someone's behavior is to try to explain it in a way that makes it seem less bad.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- He had a new excuse for being late every day.
- This broken-down car is a poor excuse for an automobile.
- The student brought a doctor's note as an excuse for his absence.
Verb:
- Please excuse my interruption.
- His tiredness does not excuse his rude behavior.
- The teacher excused him from the final exam.
- She tried to excuse her friend's mistake by blaming the confusing instructions.
Advanced Usage
"To make excuses for (someone/something)": To repeatedly provide justifications for faults or failures.
- You're always making excuses for his laziness.
"There is no excuse for...": Used to state that something is completely unacceptable and cannot be justified.
- There is no excuse for such cruelty.
"To excuse oneself": To politely ask permission to leave a place or situation; to offer an apology for one's own actions.
- He excused himself from the meeting to take an important call.
- She excused herself for stepping on his foot.
Variants and Related Words
Excusable (adj): Able to be forgiven or justified; not serious.
- Forgetting a name is an excusable error.
Inexcusable (adj): Too bad to be justified or tolerated.
- His insulting comments were inexcusable.
Synonyms
- Noun: Justification, reason, explanation, defense, alibi, pretext.
- Verb: Forgive, pardon, overlook, justify, explain, absolve, exempt, release.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Excuse from: To officially allow someone not to do something or not to be somewhere.
- She was excused from jury duty due to her health.
Related Idioms
"A lame excuse": A weak or unconvincing reason.
- Saying you forgot is a lame excuse when you had a whole week to prepare.
"Excuse me": A polite phrase used to: 1) get someone's attention, 2) apologize for a minor interruption or fault, 3) ask someone to move aside, or 4) express polite disagreement.
- Excuse me, could you tell me the time?
- Oh, excuse me, I didn't see you there.
Noun
- a poor example
- it was an apology for a meal
- a poor excuse for an automobile
- a note explaining an absence
- he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him
- 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
Verb
- excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with
- excuse someone's behavior
- She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities
- ask for permission to be released from an engagement
- defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
- rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior
- he rationalized his lack of success
- 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
- grant exemption or release to
- Please excuse me from this class
- accept an excuse for
- Please excuse my dirty hands