# excuse

Pronunciation: say "ik-SKYOOS" US /ɪksˈkjus/, UK /ɪkˈskjuːs/

## Noun

1. A reason or explanation offered to avoid or lessen blame, or to justify not doing something.
   - Simple: A reason you give to avoid blame for something you did, or for not doing something.
   - _He invented a convincing excuse to skip the family dinner._
   - _The board dismissed his excuses as feeble attempts to dodge responsibility._
5. A markedly poor or inferior example of something, falling far short of what it should be.
   - Simple: A poor or sad example of something, far worse than it should be.
   - _The drafty cabin was a poor excuse for a vacation home._
   - _Critics called the sequel a feeble excuse for a film._
6. In law, a defense in which the accused admits to the act but argues that special circumstances remove their responsibility for it.
   - Simple: In law, a reason that frees a person from blame, even though they admit they did the act.
   - _Her attorney raised duress as an excuse, claiming she acted under threat._
   - _The court rejected insanity as an excuse and found him fully responsible._

## Verb

Pronunciation: say "ik-SKYOOZ" US /ɪksˈkjuz/, UK /ɪkˈskjuːz/

2. To allow someone to leave, or to release them from a duty or obligation.
   - Simple: To let someone leave, or to free them from something they must do.
   - _The judge agreed to excuse the juror from further service._
   - _The officer excused the recruits from the morning drill._
3. To forgive or overlook a fault or wrongdoing.
   - Simple: To forgive or overlook a mistake or fault, or forgive someone for it.
   - _I hope you'll excuse the delay in my reply._
   - _The teacher excused the interruption and continued the lesson._
4. To make a fault or wrong action seem less bad, either by giving reasons for it or by being such a reason.
   - Simple: To make something wrong seem less bad, by giving a reason for it or by being a reason for it.
   - _Poverty may explain the theft but cannot excuse it._
   - _Stress excused none of his harsh words to the staff._

## Origin

Latin excūsāre ('to excuse,' literally 'to free from a charge'), made of ex ('out') and causa ('a charge'), gave Old French the verb escuser and the noun excuse. English borrowed both, as Middle English excusen (verb) and excuse (noun), and they pushed aside the native Old English words lādian ('to excuse') and lād ('an excuse').

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