excuse

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”

a note explaining an absence

• “he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him”

a poor example

• “it was an apology for a meal”
• “a poor excuse for an automobile”

accept an excuse for

• “Please excuse my dirty hands”

grant exemption or release to

• “Please excuse me from this class”

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”

defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

• “rationalize the child”
• “;”

ask for permission to be released from an engagement

excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with

• “excuse someone”
• “;”
• “s occasional infidelities”