Meaning of "excuse" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD EXCUSE

From Latin excusāre, from ex-1 + -cūsare, from causa cause, accusation.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF EXCUSE

excuse  [ɪkˈskjuːz]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF EXCUSE

Excuse is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb excuse in English.

WHAT DOES EXCUSE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Excuse (legal)

In jurisprudence, an excuse or justification is a defense to criminal charges that is distinct from an exculpation. Exculpation is related concept which reduces or extinguishes a person's culpability and therefore a person's liability to pay compensation to the victim of a tort in the civil law. The "excuse" provides a mitigating factor for a group of persons sharing a common characteristic. Justification, as in justifiable homicide, vindicates or shows the justice. Thus, society approves of the purpose or motives underpinning some actions or the consequences flowing from them, and distinguishes those where the behavior cannot be approved but some excuse may be found in the characteristics of the defendant, e.g. that the accused was a serving police officer or suffering from a mental illness. Thus, a justification describes the quality of the act, whereas an excuse relates to the status or capacity in the accused. These factors can affect the resulting judgment which may be an acquittal, or in the case of a conviction may mitigate sentencing.

Definition of excuse in the English dictionary

The first definition of excuse in the dictionary is to pardon or forgive. Other definition of excuse is to seek pardon or exemption for. Excuse is also to make allowances for; judge leniently.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO EXCUSE

PRESENT

Present

I excuse

you excuse

he/she/it excuses

we excuse

you excuse

they excuse

Present continuous

I am excusing

you are excusing

he/she/it is excusing

we are excusing

you are excusing

they are excusing

Present perfect

I have excused

you have excused

he/she/it has excused

we have excused

you have excused

they have excused

Present perfect continuous

I have been excusing

you have been excusing

he/she/it has been excusing

we have been excusing

you have been excusing

they have been excusing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I excused

you excused

he/she/it excused

we excused

you excused

they excused

Past continuous

I was excusing

you were excusing

he/she/it was excusing

we were excusing

you were excusing

they were excusing

Past perfect

I had excused

you had excused

he/she/it had excused

we had excused

you had excused

they had excused

Past perfect continuous

I had been excusing

you had been excusing

he/she/it had been excusing

we had been excusing

you had been excusing

they had been excusing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will excuse

you will excuse

he/she/it will excuse

we will excuse

you will excuse

they will excuse

Future continuous

I will be excusing

you will be excusing

he/she/it will be excusing

we will be excusing

you will be excusing

they will be excusing

Future perfect

I will have excused

you will have excused

he/she/it will have excused

we will have excused

you will have excused

they will have excused

Future perfect continuous

I will have been excusing

you will have been excusing

he/she/it will have been excusing

we will have been excusing

you will have been excusing

they will have been excusing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would excuse

you would excuse

he/she/it would excuse

we would excuse

you would excuse

they would excuse

Conditional continuous

I would be excusing

you would be excusing

he/she/it would be excusing

we would be excusing

you would be excusing

they would be excusing

Conditional perfect

I would have excuse

you would have excuse

he/she/it would have excuse

we would have excuse

you would have excuse

they would have excuse

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been excusing

you would have been excusing

he/she/it would have been excusing

we would have been excusing

you would have been excusing

they would have been excusing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you excuse
we let´s excuse
you excuse

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to excuse

Past participle

excused

Present Participle

excusing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «EXCUSE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «excuse» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of excuse

absolve · acquit · apology · bear with · condone · cop-out · cover-up · defence · defend · discharge · evasion · exculpate · exempt · exonerate · expedient · explain · explanation · extenuate · extenuation · forgive · free · grounds · indulge · justification · justify · let off · liberate · mitigate · mitigating circumstances · mitigation · mockery · overlook · pardon · pass over · plea · pretence · pretext · reason · release · relieve · spare · subterfuge · tolerate · travesty · turn a blind eye to · vindicate · vindication · wink at

TRANSLATION OF EXCUSE

Find out the translation of excuse to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of excuse from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «excuse» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 借口
• Translator English - Spanish: excusa
• English: excuse
• Translator English - Hindi: बहाना
• Translator English - Arabic: عُذْر
• Translator English - Russian: оправдание
• Translator English - Portuguese: desculpa
• Translator English - Bengali: ছুতা
• Translator English - French: excuse
• Translator English - Malay: Alasan
• Translator English - German: Entschuldigung
• Translator English - Japanese: 弁解
• Translator English - Korean: 변명
• Translator English - Javanese: Alesan
• Translator English - Vietnamese: lý do bào chữa
• Translator English - Tamil: தவிர்க்கவும்
• Translator English - Marathi: माफ करा
• Translator English - Turkish: bahane
• Translator English - Italian: scusa
• Translator English - Polish: usprawiedliwienie
• Translator English - Ukrainian: виправдання
• Translator English - Romanian: scuză
• Translator English - Greek: δικαιολογία
• Translator English - Afrikaans: verskoning
• Translator English - Swedish: ursäkt
• Translator English - Norwegian: unnskyldning

10 QUOTES WITH «EXCUSE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word excuse.

1

Alexander Alekhine

The fact that a player is very short of time is, to my mind, as little to be considered an excuse as, for instance, the statement of the law-breaker that he was drunk at the time he committed the crime.

2

Tracy Anderson

A lot of women use pregnancy as an excuse to let their bodies go, and that's the worst thing.

3

Steve Aoki

The haters and the trolls have always used me as an excuse to make fun of something that is out of the ordinary, something that doesn't necessarily make sense to them. For whatever reason, I have always been a target that people love to attack.

4

Hannah Arendt

Where all are guilty, no one is; confessions of collective guilt are the best possible safeguard against the discovery of culprits, and the very magnitude of the crime the best excuse for doing nothing.

5

Ned Beauman

I'm very finicky about when I'm in the right mood to write. So most days, I find some excuse not to do anything.

6

Henry Ward Beecher

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.

7

Dave Blood

The process of putting the DVD and the CD together was great fun, because it provided a good excuse for the four of us to make time to get together again. I am especially pleased with the end result of these two projects.

8

Sherwood Boehlert

Having yet another vote on refinery legislation that uses high oil prices as an excuse to weaken environmental protections and to give more legislative gifts to the oil industry is misguided in the extreme.

9

Eric Bogosian

I write my plays to create an excuse for full-tilt acting and performing.

10

Beth Brooke

Mentorship has been an excuse not to promote women.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «EXCUSE»

Discover the use of excuse in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to excuse and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of ...

In this groundbreaking book, she reveals how paying attention to feelings--rather than positive thinking, or sweat and strain, or good or bad luck, or even smarts--is the way to change your life, make dreams come true, and create the kind ...

Lynn Grabhorn, 2009

No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the U.S. Army's Elite Rangers

This book is a must on every Ranger or those who wish to be’s . . . coffee table." –Colonel David Hunt Fox News Military Analyst "A great book, designed to demonstrate how one can achieve the mental toughness to succeed . . . no matter ...

Brace E. Barber, 2011

Excuse Me, Is This India?

Drifting off to sleep beneath a picture-quilt made by a globetrotting aunt, the book's young narrator becomes a bright blue mouse, swept away on an unexpected trip to India. Or is it India?

‎2003

A Poor Excuse for a Dragon

When Fred the dragon leaves home, he learns that he is not very good at roaring or breathing fire, and swallowing people only makes him ill, but with help from a witch, a giant, and a wise boy he finds his true calling.

Geoffrey Hayes, 2011

Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide ...

Even if you've never been south of Rochester, this book will charm, it will entertain, and it will give you all the ingredients required for the perfect Southern send-off.

Gayden Metcalfe, Charlotte Hays, 2013

The Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting Playbook

Isn’t it worth a little work to have the life you’ve always wanted? This is a complete overhaul of the Grabhorn classic. The text has been tightened and clarified.

Lynn Grabhorn, 2011

WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?: Making the Most of What You Have

John Foppe, born without arms, has faced obstacles-both physical and emotional-his entire life. While some see his condition as a debilitating handicap, John disagrees.

John Foppe, 2010

You Are a Miserable Excuse for a Hero!: Book One in the Just ...

Why Do All the Nice Girls End Up Getting Kidnapped and Held for Ransom? In this book, YOU, the reader, are a thirtysomething part-time actor/full-time waiter suddenly caught up in a kidnapping.

Bob Powers, 2010

The Excuse Factory: How Employment Law is Paralyzing the ...

Argues that numerous laws have made it impossible for businesses to fire incompetent and unmotivated workers.

Walter K. Olson, 1997

No Excuse!: Key Principles for Balancing Life and Achieving ...

-- Pat Williams, General Manager The Orlando Magic "Jay Rifenbary has given the world a most generous gift. Anyone who reads this book and applies the No Excuse! philosophy daily can create the fife they want and make a difference".

Jay Rifenbary, Mike Markowski, Marjie Markowski, 1995

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «EXCUSE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term excuse is used in the context of the following news items.

Mets better not use Matz injury as excuse to throw up white flag

Steve Matz, Mets owner Fred Wilpon (top right) and general manager Sandy Alderson Photo: Anthony J. Causi; Getty Images; Bill Kostroun ... «New York Post, Jul 15»

'Rigged game'? You bet! NYT's excuse for keeping Ted Cruz off …

'Rigged game'? You bet! NYT's excuse for keeping Ted Cruz off bestseller list is 'shameful'. Posted at 6:21 pm on July 9, 2015 by Twitchy Staff | View Comments. «Twitchy, Jul 15»

Rob Lowe calls Ariana Grande excuse 'lame'

Ariana Grande attends the 29th annual NYC Pride: Dance On The Pier at Pier 26 on June 28, 2015 in New York City. (Photo: Neilson ... «W*USA 9, Jul 15»

Bomber's Blast: Trainer's sandwich excuse is food for thought

However, last week's excuse given by Victorian trainer Bryce Stanaway must ... I am sure this scratching excuse will not sit well with stewards. «The Queensland Times, Jul 15»

“Not knowing it was hot out,” is not an excuse to leave your pet in the …

Port Moody Police say they rescued a dog left in a vehicle parked in the sun. Officers were apparently unimpressed with the owners excuse. «Am730 Vancouver Traffic News, Jul 15»

No excuse on Medicaid expansion

If the uncertain legal future of the Affordable Care Act seemed reason enough to keep stalling on Medicaid expansion in Kansas during the ... «Leader and Times, Jul 15»

Jim Harbison: 'Everybody does it' a poor excuse for voters

Their excuse that "everyone does it," especially the notorious Republicans, highlights their unwillingness to address the real problem. «Las Cruces Sun-News, Jul 15»

The Pan Am excuse: If they're coming, you will build it

But there is also Barcelona, a city that used the 1992 Olympics as an excuse to remake itself with a creative flair that was as practical as it was ... «The Globe and Mail, Jul 15»

Trucker who battered wife to death with rolling pin branded 'pathetic …

A husband who battered his tragic wife to death with a rolling pin has been branded an “absolutely pathetic excuse for a human being”. «Mirror.co.uk, Jul 15»

Hacking Team's Lame Excuse for Selling Digital Weapons to Sudan

Hacking Team, the company now equally known for selling intrusive spyware to governments and getting royally hacked, has words for people ... «Gizmodo, Jul 15»