# excuse me

Pronunciation: US say "eks-KYOOZ mee" /ɛksˈkjuːz mi/; UK

## Idiom

1. Said politely to ask a particular person for their attention.
   - Simple: Words you say politely to get a person to notice you.
   - _Excuse me, could you tell me what time the museum opens?_
   - _Excuse me, are you the person in charge of the event?_
2. Said politely to ask someone to let you pass them.
   - Simple: Words you say when you need someone to move so you can get by.
   - _Excuse me, could I squeeze past you to the window seat?_
   - _Excuse me, this is my stop. Can I slip by?_
3. Said to apologize to someone, in the same way as sorry.
   - Simple: A way of saying sorry to someone.
   - _Excuse me. I didn't mean to interrupt your call._
   - _Excuse me, I think I took your seat by mistake._
4. Said to ask someone to repeat what they have just said. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: Words you say when you did not hear someone and want them to say it again.
   - _Excuse me? The line cut out for a second. What was the address?_
   - _Excuse me? I couldn't hear you over the music._
5. Said as if asking someone to repeat what they said, to show disbelief or indignation at it. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: Words you say, like a question, when you are shocked or angry at what someone said.
   - _Excuse me? Did you just tell me to calm down?_
   - _You want me to work the whole weekend for free? Excuse me?_
6. Said when taking leave of others unexpectedly or earlier than they might expect.
   - Simple: Words you say when you have to leave suddenly or early.
   - _Excuse me, I'm afraid I must leave early; I have an appointment at four._
   - _Please excuse me, I've just had a call from the hospital and must go at once._

## Idiom

7. An old-fashioned dance in which partners are changed again and again.
   - Simple: An old dance where people keep changing partners.
   - _The evening ended with an excuse me, so no one spent the last dance alone._
   - _The village hall still holds an excuse me at its spring dance._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/excuse-me (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).