excuse

Verb

excuse (third-person singular simple present excuses, present participle excusing, simple past and past participle excused)

1. (transitive) To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.
   • I excused him his transgressions.
   • Yet his Nature / In that’s no Changeling, and I muſt excuſe / What cannot be amended.c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
2. (transitive) To allow to leave, or release from any obligation.
   • May I be excused from the table?
   • I excused myself from the proceedings to think over what I'd heard.

   Synonyms:

   forgive, let off the hook, let pass, pardon, unguilt

3. (transitive) To provide an excuse for; to justify.
   • You know he shouldn't have done it, so don't try to excuse his behavior!
   • They cannot be excusyd
     By reason nor by law; […]c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, →OCLC, page 62, lines 6–7

   Synonyms:

   plead, adduce

4. To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
   • Agayne / thynke ye that we excuſe oure ſelves? we ſpeake in Chriſt in the ſight of God. But we do all thyngꝭ dearly beloved for youre edifyinge.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians xij:[19], folio ccxlvj, verso
   • It were more meet that thou didst accuse thy self, and excusedst thy Brother.1705, Thomas à Kempis (unknown translator), The Christian’s Pattern: or, A Treatise of the Imitation of Jesus Christ, London: T. C. Hansard, […], published 1831, page 54

Noun

UK/ɪkˈskjuːs/US/ɪksˈkjus/

excuse (countable and uncountable, plural excuses)

1. An explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault.
   • Tell me why you were late – and I don't want to hear any excuses!
   • I had to make an excuse for being late to the meeting.

   Synonyms:

   cop-out, pretext release, clear, justify, forgive, tolerate, overlook, exempt, pardon, discharge

2. 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.
3. (often, especially sorry, poor, or lame) An example of something that is substandard or of inferior quality.
   • That thing is a poor excuse for a gingerbread man. Hasn't anyone taught you how to bake?
   • He's a sorry excuse for a doctor.