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excuse

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More words related to excuse

condone
verb. make allowance for
  • buy
  • disregard
  • excuse
  • forget
  • forgive
  • give green light
  • go along with
  • ignore
  • lap up
  • let it come
  • let it go by
  • let pass
  • look the other way
  • nod at
  • okay
  • overlook
  • pardon
  • pass over
  • remit
  • wink at

cop out
verb. abandon, quit
  • back down
  • back off
  • back out
  • backpedal
  • desert
  • dodge
  • excuse
  • give the slip
  • have alibi
  • rationalize
  • renege
  • renounce
  • revoke
  • skip
  • use pretext
  • welsh
  • withdraw

defense
noun. explanation, justification
  • answer
  • apologetics
  • apologia
  • apologizing
  • apology
  • argument
  • cleanup
  • copout
  • exculpation
  • excuse
  • excusing
  • exoneration
  • explaining
  • extenuation
  • fish story
  • jive
  • off-time
  • plea
  • rationalization
  • rejoinder
  • reply
  • response
  • retort
  • return
  • song and dance
  • story
  • vindication
  • whitewash

discharge
verb. dismiss from responsibility
  • absolve
  • ax
  • boot out
  • bounce
  • bump
  • bust
  • can
  • cashier
  • disburden
  • discard
  • disencumber
  • dispense
  • displace
  • eject
  • excuse
  • exempt
  • expel
  • fire
  • freeze out
  • give one notice
  • kick out
  • lay off
  • let go
  • let off
  • let one go
  • let out
  • lock out
  • nix
  • oust
  • privilege from
  • relieve
  • remove
  • replace
  • ride out on rail
  • run out of town
  • show the door
  • spare
  • supersede
  • supplant
  • terminate
  • unload

dispense
verb. exempt from responsibility
  • absolve
  • discharge
  • except
  • excuse
  • exonerate
  • let off
  • privilege from
  • release
  • relieve
  • reprieve
  • spare

evasion
noun. escape, avoidance
  • artifice
  • circumvention
  • cop-out
  • cunning
  • ditch
  • dodge
  • dodging
  • elusion
  • equivocating
  • equivocation
  • eschewal
  • evading
  • evasiveness
  • excuse
  • fancy footwork
  • fudging
  • fugiviteness
  • fugivity
  • jive
  • lie
  • obliqueness
  • pretext
  • prevarication
  • quibble
  • routine
  • run-around
  • ruse
  • shift
  • shirking
  • shuffling
  • shunning
  • slip
  • sophism
  • sophistry
  • stall
  • stonewall
  • subterfuge
  • trick
  • trickery

example
noun. instance, model
  • archetype
  • case
  • case history
  • case in point
  • citation
  • copy
  • excuse
  • exemplar
  • exemplification
  • for instance
  • ideal
  • illustration
  • kind of thing
  • lesson
  • object
  • original
  • paradigm
  • paragon
  • part
  • pattern
  • precedent
  • prototype
  • quotation
  • representation
  • sample
  • sampling
  • specimen
  • standard
  • stereotype
  • symbol

exculpate
verb. forgive
  • absolve
  • acquit
  • amnesty
  • clear
  • condone
  • discharge
  • disculpate
  • dismiss
  • excuse
  • exonerate
  • explain
  • free
  • justify
  • let off
  • pardon
  • rationalize
  • release
  • remit
  • vindicate
  • wipe slate clean

exempt
verb. relieve, absolve
  • clear
  • discharge
  • dispense
  • except
  • excuse
  • exonerate
  • free
  • go easy on
  • grant immunity
  • let off
  • let off the hook
  • liberate
  • pass by
  • privilege from
  • release
  • spare
  • wipe the slate
  • write off
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
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Word Origin & History

excuse early 13c., "to clear (someone) from blame," from O.Fr. escuser, from L. excusare "release from a charge," from ex- "out, away" + causa "accusation, legal action" (see cause). Meaning "to obtain exemption or release" is from mid-15c.; that of "to accept another's plea of excuse" is from early 14c. The noun sense of "that which is offered as a reason for being excused" is recorded from c.1500. Excuse me as a mild apology or statement of polite disagreement is from c.1600.

Example Sentences for excuse

I'm so agitated by recent events, that, that—indeed you must excuse me.

Excuse me, my dear friend, for these grave soliloquies, as I may call them.

Excuse me, my dear, I never was thus particular before; no, not to you.

He has kindly furnished us with an excuse for being so long together, said she.

Excuse me, Mr. Vavasor, but how do you know I am not a professional singer?

I make no excuse for this immoral act, and ask no one to say I did right.

But in truth her mother so rarely jested that there was some excuse for her.

Would his employer be so kind as to excuse him for an hour, if convenient?

She had been reared in a criminal family, which must excuse much.

She offered no explanation, no excuse, merely stated the fact in all its finality.

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