excuse
gb/ɪkskjˈus/ us/ɪkskjˈus/
A2
English
~ 8600
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
forgive or overlook a small fault
To say that you are not angry about a small mistake or problem, often in a polite way.
Usage pattern:
to excuse [someone] for [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"forgive me to be late"* instead of *"excuse me for being late"* or *"forgive me for being late"*. Use *excuse [someone] for [noun/verb-ing]*, for example: *"Please excuse me for being late"*. They may also confuse *"I’m sorry"* and *"excuse me"*: *"I’m sorry"* focuses on feeling bad, while *"excuse me"* politely asks the other person not to be upset.
Synonyms
forgive (Stronger and more general; can be used for serious things as well as small ones, not just polite language.)
Antonyms
blame (To say someone is responsible for something bad, the opposite of forgiving or overlooking it.)
Collocations
please excuse me
|excuse the mess
|excuse my son
|excuse my French
|excuse [someone] for being late
|kindly excuse
Themes
daily life
|politeness
|emotions
|relationships
|daily_life
Examples
- Please excuse me for arriving so late to the meeting.
- I hope you can excuse the noise; the neighbors are having construction done.
- Excuse my appearance, I came straight from the gym.
- He asked the teacher to excuse him for missing yesterday’s class.
- I can’t excuse that kind of rude behavior toward the staff.
Learner examples
- Please excuse me for the mistake.
- Excuse the mess; I just got home.
- She could not excuse his bad words.
- Excuse my son; he is very tired today.
- I hope you will excuse me if I leave early.
Noun
A2
entity
2
reason given for a mistake or fault
A reason you say to explain that you did something wrong or did not do something, often not a good reason.
Usage pattern:
an excuse for [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse *"reason"* and *"excuse"*. *Reason* is neutral, but *excuse* often suggests the speaker thinks the explanation is weak. Also, do not say *"do an excuse"*; say *"make an excuse"* or *"give an excuse"*.
Synonyms
reason (More general and neutral; does not suggest that the explanation is weak or dishonest.)
Antonyms
admission (Openly accepting that you are at fault instead of trying to defend yourself with a reason.)
Collocations
make an excuse
|find an excuse
|use an excuse
|a poor excuse
|a lame excuse
|a good excuse
Themes
daily life
|work
|school
|communication
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He was late again, and his excuse about the traffic sounded very weak.
- Stop making excuses and just tell me what really happened.
- She always has an excuse for not finishing her homework on time.
- That’s no excuse for speaking to your parents like that.
- He used his busy schedule as an excuse to avoid meeting us.
Learner examples
- He was late, and his excuse was not good.
- She made an excuse for missing the class.
- I do not want to hear any more excuses.
- Traffic is just an excuse; he left home too late.
- That is a good excuse for being absent.
Verb
B1
action
3
free someone from a duty or activity
To say that someone does not have to do something, or that they can leave.
Usage pattern:
to excuse [someone] from [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"excuse to"* instead of *"excuse from"*. Use *excuse [someone] from [activity]*, for example: *"They excused her from the meeting"*. Also, *"You are excused"* is a fixed, often formal phrase, not usually followed by *"from"*.
Synonyms
dismiss (Often more formal; commonly used for sending someone away, especially from a job or a class.)
Antonyms
obligate (To require someone to do something, the opposite of freeing them from the duty.)
Collocations
excuse [someone] from duty
|excuse [someone] from class
|excuse [someone] from work
|be excused early
|you are excused
Themes
school
|work
|law
|daily_life
|education
Examples
- The teacher excused him from the test because he had been sick.
- If you’ve finished your work, you are excused for the day.
- She was excused from jury duty after explaining her medical condition.
- The manager excused me from the meeting so I could finish the report.
- Students may be excused early with written permission from a parent.
Learner examples
- The teacher excused me from class today.
- He was excused from work because he was ill.
- You are excused; you can go home now.
- She asked the coach to excuse her from training.
- He was excused from the exam for health reasons.
Noun
B1
entity
4
permission to be absent or not do something
Official permission not to do something you usually must do, often written on a note.
Usage pattern:
an excuse from [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that *excuse* in this sense often needs a modifier, such as *doctor’s excuse* or *written excuse*. Just saying *"I have an excuse"* may sound like you are giving a weak reason, not official permission.
Synonyms
exemption (More formal; often used for taxes, rules, or official requirements.)
Antonyms
requirement (Something you must do; the opposite of being allowed not to do it.)
Collocations
a doctor's excuse
|a written excuse
|parental excuse
|an excuse from class
|submit an excuse
Themes
school
|work
|health
|education
|daily_life
Examples
- You need a doctor’s excuse if you miss more than three days of school.
- The company only accepts written excuses for absences.
- Without a valid excuse, your absence will be marked as unapproved.
- She handed the teacher an excuse from her parents explaining the trip.
- Employees must provide an excuse from a medical professional for sick leave.
Learner examples
- I gave the teacher a doctor’s excuse.
- You need an excuse from your parents to leave early.
- He stayed home, but he had no excuse from a doctor.
- Please bring a written excuse if you miss class.
- The school will not accept a phone call as an excuse.
Verb
formal
B2
action
5
say a reason makes bad behavior less serious
To think that a reason makes bad behavior less serious and that you should not blame someone as much.
Usage pattern:
to excuse [someone/something] because of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this with the more casual *"Excuse me"* sense. Here, *excuse* is more formal and about judging behavior, often used in negative statements like *"Nothing can excuse..."*. Do not say *"excuse from"* in this sense; use an object directly: *"excuse his behavior"*.
Synonyms
justify (Stronger; suggests showing that the action was right or acceptable, not just less bad.)
Antonyms
condemn (To say very strongly that something is wrong or bad, instead of accepting any excuses.)
Collocations
excuse bad behavior
|excuse violence
|excuse a crime
|excuse his actions
|nothing can excuse
Themes
emotions
|ethics
|discussion
|communication
|relationships
Examples
- His difficult childhood helps explain, but does not excuse, his violent behavior.
- Being tired does not excuse shouting at your colleagues.
- Some people tried to excuse the lie as a simple mistake.
- No amount of stress can excuse such cruel treatment.
- They refused to excuse her actions, despite her apology.
Learner examples
- Being busy does not excuse rude words.
- Her age may explain her mistake, but it does not excuse it.
- Nothing can excuse this kind of crime.
- He tried to excuse his behavior with a long story.
- We should not excuse violence for any reason.
Noun
informal
C1
property
6
very poor example of something
A way to say something is a very bad example of its kind.
Usage pattern:
an excuse for a [noun]
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this sense is strongly negative and often used in fixed patterns like *"a poor excuse for a [noun]"*. It does not mean a reason here; it means a bad example. Do not say *"an excuse of a teacher"*; instead say *"an excuse for a teacher"*.
Synonyms
shame (Informal; often used in expressions like *"a shame of a..."* in some dialects, but *excuse for* is more common in standard English.)
Antonyms
fine example (A good or excellent instance of something, the opposite of a very poor example.)
Collocations
a poor excuse for a meal
|a miserable excuse for a teacher
|a pathetic excuse for a plan
|a sorry excuse for a leader
Themes
evaluation
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- This excuse for a hotel room doesn’t even have hot water.
- He’s a miserable excuse for a manager and never supports his team.
- What a pathetic excuse for a meal—there’s hardly any food on the plate.
- They called it a plan, but it was a sorry excuse for one.
- That old car is an excuse for transportation; it breaks down every week.
Learner examples
- This is a poor excuse for a sandwich.
- He is a bad excuse for a friend.
- What a sorry excuse for a game; it is no fun.
- That movie was an excuse for a comedy; nobody laughed.
- This old phone is an excuse for a smartphone.
Grammar
Dictionary form
excuse
IPA
GB/ɪkskjˈus/
US/ɪkskjˈus/
Syllables & stress
ex - cuse (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cuse)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: excuse
- Plural: excuse, excuses
Verb
- Base: excuse
- 3rd Person Singular: excuses
- Present Participle: excusing
- Past: excused
Word family
Forms
excuses
noun
excusing
verb
excused
verb
Related words
excusable
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
inexcusable
adjective C1
inexcusably
adverb C1
Expressions
a poor excuse for a [noun]
1/ə pˈʊɹ ɪkskjˈus fɚ ə nˈaʊn/
fixed phrase
informal
very bad example of something
Used to say that something is a very bad example of a thing of that type.
Examples
- This is a poor excuse for a pizza; it hardly has any cheese.
- He’s a poor excuse for a leader; nobody trusts him.
be excused from [something]
1/bˈi ɪkskjˈuzd fɹˈʌm sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
be officially allowed not to do something
To not have to do something because someone in authority says it is OK.
Examples
- Students may be excused from the exam only with a doctor’s note.
- She was excused from military service for health reasons.
excuse me
1/ɪkskjˈuz mˈi/
fixed phrase
polite phrase to get attention or apologize
A polite phrase used to get someone’s attention, to ask someone to move, to pass, or to say sorry for a small thing.
Examples
- Excuse me, could you tell me where the station is?
- Excuse me, you dropped your wallet.
- Excuse me, can I get past you, please?
excuse my French
1/ɪkskjˈuz mˈaɪ fɹˈɛnt͡ʃ/
idiom
informal
apologize jokingly for swearing
A joking phrase you say after using rude or taboo words, to apologize for your language.
Examples
- That was a terrible movie, excuse my French, it was absolutely awful.
- Excuse my French, but this situation is a complete disaster.
excuse the mess
1/ɪkskjˈuz ðə mˈɛs/
fixed phrase
informal
apologize for untidiness
A phrase you say when your home or room is not clean, to ask the visitor not to mind.
Examples
- Come in! Please excuse the mess; the kids were playing here all morning.
- Excuse the mess, I haven’t had time to clean up yet.
if you'll excuse me
1/ˈɪf jˈul ɪkskjˈuz mˈi/
fixed phrase
formal
polite way to say you will leave
A polite phrase used before you leave a person or group, or before you stop talking to do something else.
Examples
- If you’ll excuse me, I need to make a phone call.
- If you’ll excuse me, I have another meeting to attend.
make an excuse
1/mˈeɪk ən ɪkskjˈus/
fixed phrase
invent or give a reason as a defense
To give a reason, especially a weak one, to explain why you did something wrong or did not do something.
Examples
- Don’t make an excuse; just admit you were wrong.
- He made an excuse about feeling sick so he didn’t have to go to the party.
no excuse
1/nˈoʊ ɪkskjˈus/
fixed phrase
no acceptable reason exists
Said when there is no good reason for something bad that someone did.
Examples
- Being tired is no excuse for shouting at your children.
- There’s simply no excuse for that kind of behavior.
there is no excuse for [something]
1/ðˈɛɹ ˈɪz nˈoʊ ɪkskjˈus fɚ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
say nothing can justify something
Used to say that an action is very bad and no reason can make it OK.
Examples
- There is no excuse for driving while drunk.
- Many people feel there is no excuse for animal cruelty.
use something as an excuse
1/jˈuz sˈʌmθɪŋ ˈæz ən ɪkskjˈus/
fixed phrase
take something as a defensive reason
To say that a particular thing is the reason for your bad action or failure, usually when someone thinks this reason is not good.
Examples
- He used the bad weather as an excuse for being late.
- Don’t use your busy schedule as an excuse to ignore your friends.