excuse
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The excuse this time is that his wife Elizabeth wants to open her own travel agency, and can’t get a bank loan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Hamish says there is no excuse for anything beyond light-hearted jesting.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
I used this as an excuse to reread his autobiography, which is frequently hilarious, and tried to revisit all his recent interviews.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
This saves on lodging costs, and, as an added bonus, it’s a good excuse to see old friends.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
“The good times can never excuse the bad, and love and kindness should never be a reward for good behavior. Doing things for others so they’ll approve of and love you isn’t love.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
“Mr. Brand makes no excuses for his actions, and knows that he harmed many as a result of his choices.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
"We seem to be giving this generation excuses for not being resilient," Ebenezer said, adding: "We are preparing students for life."
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
But the majority refuses to look reality in the face and comes up with these neutral excuses.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
Mr. Barragán’s achievement is to make this world intelligible without making excuses for it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Anatole’s eyes rarely stray from his books, and I’ll admit I find myself thinking of excuses to interrupt his concentration.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Then she excused herself — someone else wanted to say what’s up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
You’ll be excused for viewing that shameless promotion with cynicism as long as you also leave room to appreciate it as an indicator of how far the group has pulled popular culture.
From Salon ● May 31, 2026
His 10th place there was seemingly excused as a minor infection was identified afterwards.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
The informant excused himself to head upstairs to retrieve the money, a signal for Haitian police commandos to storm in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
Vic thought it too fancy a word to be proper, and soon had gotten the entire table laughing and saying “enjoyable” in mocking tones until Reynie had finally excused himself without dessert and retreated here.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
The film isn’t excusing these rough working conditions, but it’s not a puff piece, either.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
A people can’t cry out for deliverance while refusing correction or ask God for justice while excusing wrongdoing in its own ranks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
School staff told Estyn that parents sometimes challenged the approach to behaviour and many described a few parents as "unsupportive, sometimes undermining staff by excusing poor behaviour".
From BBC ● May 7, 2025
“I can tell you, we’re throwing all of our available resources at it as we speak,” the chief said before excusing herself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2025
“I’m not excusing it. I’m just trying to explain what happened.”
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
Vocabulary lists containing excuse
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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"The War of the Wall" by Toni Cade Bambara
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"The House on Mango Street" and "The Road Not Taken"
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