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excuse. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
excuse, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
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English
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”).
Pronunciation
- Verb
- Noun
Verb
excuse (third-person singular simple present excuses, present participle excusing, simple past and past participle excused)
- (transitive) To forgive; to pardon.
I excused him his transgressions.
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 Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 25, column 1:Yet his Nature / In that’s no Changeling, and I muſt excuſe / 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 not excuse him from guilt in practising it
- (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.
- (transitive) To provide an excuse for; to explain, with the aim of alleviating guilt or negative judgement.
You know he shouldn't have done it, so don't try to excuse his behavior!
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:They cannot be excusyd
By reason nor by law; […]
- To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
Synonyms
Antonyms
- (antonym(s) of "to release from guilt, shame, or punishment"): blame, punish
Derived terms
Translations
forgive, pardon
- American Sign Language: BentB@BaseHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross BentB@TipHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross
- Arabic: عَذَرَ (ʕaḏara)
- Belarusian: выбача́ць impf (vybačácʹ), вы́бачыць pf (výbačycʹ), прабача́ць impf (prabačácʹ), праба́чыць pf (prabáčycʹ), дарава́ць impf or pf (daravácʹ), падарава́ць pf (padaravácʹ)
- Bulgarian: извиня́вам (bg) impf (izvinjávam), извиня́ pf (izvinjá), проща́вам (bg) impf (proštávam), простя́ pf (prostjá)
- Catalan: excusar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 原諒/原谅 (zh) (yuánliàng)
- Czech: omlouvat (cs) impf, omluvit (cs) pf
- Dutch: vergeven (nl), excuseren (nl)
- Finnish: antaa anteeksi (fi)
- French: excuser (fr), pardonner (fr)
- Galician: perdoar (gl)
- German: entschuldigen (de), verzeihen (de)
- Greek: συγχωρώ (el) (synchoró)
- Hungarian: megbocsát (hu)
- Ido: exkuzar (io)
- Italian: scusare (it), perdonare (it)
- Japanese: 許す (ja) (ゆるす, yurusu)
- Korean: 용서하다 (ko) (yongseohada)
- Latin: īgnōscō (la), excūsō
- Macedonian: извинува impf (izvinuva), извини pf (izvini)
- Malayalam: ക്ഷമിയ്ക്കുക (kṣamiykkuka)
- Norwegian: tilgi (no), unnskylde
- Occitan: excusar (oc)
- Old English: forġiefan, lādian
- Polish: wybaczać (pl) impf, wybaczyć (pl) pf, przebaczać (pl) impf, przebaczyć (pl) pf
- Portuguese: desculpar (pt), perdoar (pt)
- Romanian: scuza (ro)
- Russian: извиня́ть (ru) impf (izvinjátʹ), извини́ть (ru) pf (izvinítʹ) (forgive) проща́ть (ru) impf (proščátʹ), прости́ть (ru) pf (prostítʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: math
- Slovak: ospravedlňovať impf, ospravedlniť pf
- Spanish: excusar (es), perdonar (es)
- Swedish: ursäkta (sv)
- Tagalog: patawarin, magpatawad
- Tamil: மன்னி (ta) (maṉṉi)
- Turkish: mazur görmek (tr)
- Ukrainian: вибача́ти impf (vybačáty), ви́бачити pf (výbačyty), пробача́ти impf (probačáty), проба́чити pf (probáčyty), проща́ти impf (proščáty), прости́ти pf (prostýty), дарува́ти impf (daruváty), подарува́ти pf (podaruváty)
- Yiddish: אַנטשולדיקן (antshuldikn)
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explain with the aim of alleviating guilt or negative judgement
- American Sign Language: BentB@BaseHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross BentB@TipHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross
- Bulgarian: оправда́вам (bg) impf (opravdávam), оправда́я (bg) pf (opravdája)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 辯解/辩解 (zh) (biànjiě)
- Dutch: goedpraten (nl)
- Finnish: perustella (fi)
- French: excuser (fr), justifier (fr)
- German: entschuldigen (de)
- Hebrew: please add this translation if you can
- Hungarian: felment (hu), menteget (hu), kimagyaráz (hu), magyaráz (hu), kiment (hu)
- Italian: scusarsi (it), giustificarsi (it)
- Japanese: 弁明する (ja) (べんめいする, benmei suru), 言い訳する (ja) (いいわけする, iiwake suru)
- Korean: 변명하다 (ko) (byeonmyeonghada)
- Latin: utior
- Old English: lādian
- Persian: please add this translation if you can
- Polish: usprawiedliwić pf
- Portuguese: desculpar-se
- Punjabi:
- Shahmukhi: پَجّ m (pajj), بَہانَہ m (bahāna)
- Russian: опра́вдывать (ru) impf (oprávdyvatʹ), оправда́ть (ru) pf (opravdátʹ)
- Spanish: excusar (es), disculpar (es)
- Swedish: ursäkta (sv), urskuldra
- Urdu: please add this translation if you can
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Noun
excuse (countable and uncountable, plural excuses)
- (countable, uncountable) 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.
- (law) 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.
- (often with preceding negative adjective, 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.
2008, Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap, London: Atlantic Books, page 131:What a fucking lame excuse for a man.
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 4 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 whatever excuse for armor was present and detonated amidst the boiler rooms. She is doomed.
Usage notes
- We often say to make an excuse.
Synonyms
- (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.
Translations
explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgement
- American Sign Language: BentB@BaseHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross BentB@TipHand-PalmDown-OpenB@CenterSternumhigh-UlnarAcross
- Arabic: عُذْر m (ʕuḏr)
- Armenian: պատրվակ (hy) (patrvak)
- Azerbaijani: bəhanə (az)
- Belarusian: апраўда́нне n (apraŭdánnje), адмо́ўка f (admóŭka), адгаво́рка f (adhavórka), адгаво́р m (adhavór)
- Bulgarian: извине́ние (bg) n (izvinénie), оправда́ние (bg) n (opravdánie), предло́г (bg) m (predlóg)
- Catalan: excusa (ca) f
- Cherokee: ᏗᏢᏈᏍᏙᏗ (ditlvquisdodi)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 藉口/借口 (zh) (jièkǒu), 辯解/辩解 (zh) (biànjiě)
- Czech: omluva (cs) f (apology), výmluva f (dishonest), záminka (cs) f (dishonest)
- Danish: undskyldning c
- Dutch: uitvlucht (nl) m or f, excuus (nl) n smoes (nl) m
- Esperanto: senkulpigo
- Estonian: vabandus
- Finnish: tekosyy (fi), veruke (fi)
- French: prétexte (fr) m, excuse (fr) f
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: Ausrede (de) f, Ausflucht (de) f (chiefly in the plural)
- Gothic: 𐌹𐌽𐌹𐌻𐍉 f (inilō)
- Greek: δικαιολογία (el) f (dikaiología)
- Ancient: σκῆψις f (skêpsis), πρόφασις f (próphasis), μύνη f (múnē)
- Hebrew: תירוץ m, אמתלה (he) f, תֵּרוּץ (he) m (terúts)
- Hindi: बहाना (hi) m (bahānā)
- Hungarian: mentség (hu), kifogás (hu)
- Icelandic: afsökun (is) f
- Ido: exkuzo (io)
- Irish: leithscéal (ga) m
- Italian: scusa (it) f, pretesto (it) m
- Japanese: 言い訳 (ja) (いいわけ, iiwake), 口実 (ja) (こうじつ, kōjitsu), 弁解 (ja) (べんかい, benkai), 弁明 (ja) (べんめい, benmei)
- Khmer: លេស (km) (leih)
- Korean: 핑계 (ko) (pinggye), 변명(辨明) (ko) (byeonmyeong)
- Kyrgyz: шылтоо (ky) (şıltoo)
- Latin: praetextum n
- Latvian: please add this translation if you can
- Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
- Macedonian: изговор m (izgovor), оправдување n (opravduvanje)
- Malay: alasan
- Malayalam: ക്ഷമാപണം (ml) (kṣamāpaṇaṁ), ഒഴിവുകഴിവ് (ml) (oḻivukaḻivŭ)
- Manchu: ᡴᠠᠨᠠᡤᠠᠨ (kanagan), ᡶᡳᡴᡨᡠ (fiktu)
- Maori: takunga, takutakunga
- Marathi: सबब f (sabab), कारण f (kāraṇ)
- Mirandese: çculpa f
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Ngazidja Comorian: udhuri
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: unnskyldning m or f
- Occitan: excusa (oc) f
- Old English: lād, lādung f
- Persian: بهانه (fa) (bahâne), توجیه (fa) (towjih), عذر (fa) ('ozr)
- Polish: wykręt (pl) m (dishonest), wymówka (pl) f (dishonest), usprawiedliwienie (pl) n, pretekst (pl) m
- Portuguese: desculpa (pt) f
- Russian: оправда́ние (ru) n (opravdánije), отгово́рка (ru) f (otgovórka), (apology) извине́ние (ru) n (izvinénije), предло́г (ru) m (predlóg)
- Scottish Gaelic: leisgeul m
- Slovak: výhovorka f
- Spanish: excusa (es) f
- Swedish: ursäkt (sv) c
- Tagalog: dahilan
- Tamil: சாக்கு (ta) (cākku)
- Thai: ข้อแก้ตัว (kɔ̂ɔ-gɛ̂ɛ-dtuua)
- Tocharian B: ṣewi
- Turkish: bahane (tr), mazeret (tr)
- Ukrainian: відмо́вка f (vidmóvka), ви́мовка f (výmovka)
- Urdu: بَہانَہ m (bahānā)
- Vietnamese: cớ (vi)
- Welsh: esgus m
- Yiddish: תּירוץ m (teyrets)
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See also
Further reading
- “excuse”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “excuse”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
French
Etymology
Deverbal from excuser.
Pronunciation
Noun
excuse f (plural excuses)
- excuse
Verb
excuse
- inflection of excuser:
- first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
- second-person singular imperative
Further reading
Latin
Participle
excūse
- vocative masculine singular of excūsus
Spanish
Verb
excuse
- inflection of excusar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative