ex·cuse

(ĭk-skyo͞oz′)

tr.v. ex·cused, ex·cus·ing, ex·cus·es

a. To make allowance for; overlook or forgive: Please excuse the interruption.

b. To grant pardon to; forgive: We quickly excused the latecomer.

a. To apologize for (oneself) for an act that could cause offense: She excused herself for being late.

b. To explain (a fault or offense) in the hope of being forgiven or understood; try to justify: He arrived late and excused his tardiness by blaming it on the traffic. See Synonyms at forgive.

3. To serve as justification for: Witty talk does not excuse bad manners.

4. To free, as from an obligation or duty; exempt: She was excused from jury duty because she knew the plaintiff.

5. To give permission to leave; release: The child ate quickly and asked to be excused.

n. (ĭk-skyo͞os′)

1. An explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness.

2. A reason or grounds for excusing: Ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.

3. The act of excusing.

4. A note explaining an absence.

5. Informal An inferior example: a poor excuse for a poet; a sorry excuse for a car.

Idiom:

Excuse me

1. Used to acknowledge and ask forgiveness for an action that could cause offense.

2. Used to request that a statement be repeated.

[Middle English excusen, ultimately (partly via Old French excuser) from Latin excūsāre : ex-, ex- + causa, lawsuit; see cause.]

ex·cus′a·ble adj.

ex·cus′a·ble·ness n.

ex·cus′a·bly adv.

ex·cus′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	excusable - capable of being overlooked inexcusable - without excuse or justification
	2.	excusable - easily excused or forgiven; "a venial error" forgivable, venial pardonable - admitting of being pardoned

excusable

adjective forgivable, understandable, justifiable, permissible, minor, slight, allowable, defensible, venial, pardonable, warrantable He had made a simple but excusable mistake.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

excusable

adjective

1. Admitting of forgiveness or pardon:

forgivable, pardonable, venial.

2. Capable of being justified:

defensible, justifiable, tenable.

Translations

يُغْتَفَر، قابِل للعُذر

forståelig

entschuldbar

excusable

megbocsátható

afsakanlegur

scusabile veniale perdonabile

tilgivelig

affedilebilirbağışlanabilir

可原谅的

excusable

[ɪksˈkjuːzəbl] ADJ → perdonable, disculpable

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

excusable

[ɪkˈskjuːzəb^əl] adj → excusable

excusable

adj → verzeihlich, entschuldbar

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

excusable

[ɪksˈkjuːzəbl] adj → scusabile, perdonabile

excuse

(ikˈskjuːz) verb

1. to forgive or pardon. Excuse me – can you tell me the time?; I'll excuse your carelessness this time.

2. to free (someone) from a task, duty etc. May I be excused from writing this essay?

(ikˈskjuːs) noun

a reason (given by oneself) for being excused, or a reason for excusing. He has no excuse for being so late.

excusable (ikˈskjuːzəbl) adjective

pardonable.