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Definitions for: Excuse
[n] a poor example; "it was an apology for a meal"; "a poor excuse for an automobile"
[n] 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"
[v] excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities"
[v] 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 amy explain her reluctance to date again"
[v] grant exemption or release to; "Please excuse me from this class"
[v] ask for permission to be released from an engagement
[v] defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success"
[v] accept an excuse for; "Please excuse my dirty hands"
Webster (1913) Definition: Ex*cuse", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Excused; p. pr. & vb.
n. Excusing.] [OE. escusen, cusen, OF. escuser, excuser, F.
excuser, fr. L. excusare; ex out + causa cause, causari to
plead. See Cause.]
1. To free from accusation, or the imputation of fault or
blame; to clear from guilt; to release from a charge; to
justify by extenuating a fault; to exculpate; to absolve;
to acquit.
A man's persuasion that a thing is duty, will not
excuse him from guilt in practicing it, if really
and indeed it be against Gog's law. --Abp. Sharp.
2. To pardon, as a fault; to forgive entirely, or to admit to
be little censurable, and to overlook; as, we excuse
irregular conduct, when extraordinary circumstances appear
to justify it.
I must excuse what can not be amended. --Shak.
3. To regard with indulgence; to view leniently or to
overlook; to pardon.
And in our own (excuse some courtly stains.) No
whiter page than Addison remains. --Pope.
4. To free from an impending obligation or duty; hence, to
disengage; to dispense with; to release by favor; also, to
remit by favor; not to exact; as, to excuse a forfeiture.
I pray thee have me excused. --xiv. 19.
5. To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make
apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or
indulgence for.
Think ye that we excuse ourselves to you? --2 Cor.
xii. 19.
Syn: To vindicate; exculpate; absolve; acquit.
Usage: - To Pardon, Excuse, Forgive. A superior pardons
as an act of mercy or generosity; either a superior or
an equal excuses. A crime, great fault, or a grave
offence, as one against law or morals, may be
pardoned; a small fault, such as a failure in social
or conventional obligations, slight omissions or
neglects may be excused. Forgive relates to offenses
against one's self, and punishment foregone; as, to
forgive injuries or one who has injured us; to pardon
grave offenses, crimes, and criminals; to excuse an
act of forgetfulness, an unintentional offense. Pardon
is also a word of courtesy employed in the sense of
excuse.
Ex*cuse", n. [Cf. F. excuse. See Excuse, v. t.]
1. The act of excusing, apologizing, exculpating, pardoning,
releasing, and the like; acquittal; release; absolution;
justification; extenuation.
Pleading so wisely in excuse of it. --Shak.
2. That which is offered as a reason for being excused; a
plea offered in extenuation of a fault or irregular
deportment; apology; as, an excuse for neglect of duty;
excuses for delay of payment.
Hence with denial vain and coy excuse. --Milton.
3. That which excuses; that which extenuates or justifies a
fault. ``It hath the excuse of youth.'' --Shak.
If eyes were made for seeing. Then beauty is its own
excuse for being. --Emerson.
Syn: See Apology.
Synonyms: alibi, apologise, apologize, apology, beg off, condone, exculpation, exempt, explain, let off, pardon, rationalise, rationalize, relieve, self-justification
See Also: absolve, alibi, bespeak, call for, color, colour, defence, defend, defense, example, extenuate, extenuation, fend for, forgive, frank, free, gloss, illustration, instance, justify, mitigate, mitigation, palliate, plead, quest, representative, request, support, vindicate, vindication
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