excuse

excuse
excusable, adj.excusableness, n.excusably, adv.excusal, n.excuseless, adj.excuser, n.excusingly, adv.excusive, adj.excusively, adv.
v. /ik skyoohz"/; n. /ik skyoohs"/, v., excused, excusing, n.
v.t.
1. to regard or judge with forgiveness or indulgence; pardon or forgive; overlook (a fault, error, etc.): Excuse his bad manners.
2. to offer an apology for; seek to remove the blame of: He excused his absence by saying that he was ill.
3. to serve as an apology or justification for; justify: Ignorance of the law excuses no one.
4. to release from an obligation or duty: to be excused from jury duty.
5. to seek or obtain exemption or release for (oneself): to excuse oneself from a meeting.
6. to refrain from exacting; remit; dispense with: to excuse a debt.
7. to allow (someone) to leave: If you'll excuse me, I have to make a telephone call.
8. Excuse me, (used as a polite expression, as when addressing a stranger, when interrupting or disagreeing with someone, or to request repetition of what has just been said.)
n.
9. an explanation offered as a reason for being excused; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault or for release from an obligation, promise, etc.: His excuse for being late was unacceptable.
10. a ground or reason for excusing or being excused: Ignorance is no excuse.
11. the act of excusing someone or something.
12. a pretext or subterfuge: He uses his poor health as an excuse for evading all responsibility.
13. an inferior or inadequate specimen of something specified: That coward is barely an excuse for a man. Her latest effort is a poor excuse for a novel.
[1175-1225; (v.) ME escusen < OF escuser < L excusare to put outside, exonerate, equiv. to ex- EX-1 + -cusare, deriv. of causa CAUSE; (n.) ME escuse < OF, deriv. of escuser; modern sp. with ex- on the model of EX-1]
Syn. 1. EXCUSE, FORGIVE, PARDON imply being lenient or giving up the wish to punish. EXCUSE means to overlook some (usually) slight offense: to excuse bad manners. FORGIVE is applied to excusing more serious offenses: to forgive and forget. PARDON usually applies to a specific act of lenience or mercy by an official or superior: The governor was asked to pardon the condemned criminal. 3. extenuate, palliate. 4. free. 9. justification. EXCUSE, APOLOGY both imply an explanation of some failure or failing. EXCUSE implies a desire to avoid punishment or rebuke. APOLOGY usually implies acknowledgment that one has been in the wrong. 12. pretense, evasion, makeshift.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • excuse — [ ɛkskyz ] n. f. • fin XIVe; de excuser 1 ♦ Raison alléguée pour se défendre d une accusation, d un reproche, pour expliquer ou atténuer une faute. ⇒ 1. défense, explication, justification, motif, raison. Alléguer, donner, fournir une bonne… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • excuse — ex·cuse 1 /ik skyüz/ vb ex·cused, ex·cus·ing vt 1: to grant exemption or release to excused the prospective juror excused the witness after an hour of testimony 2 …   Law dictionary

  • excuse me — An expression used as an apology for any slight or apparent impropriety, esp as a request to pass, leave, interrupt or catch someone s attention or for contradicting a statement that has been made, or (US) when correcting oneself • • • Main Entry …   Useful english dictionary

  • excuse — Excuse. subst. fem. v. Raison que l on apporte pour s excuser. Excuse legitime, bonne, recevable, valable. excuse impertinente, legere, sotte, mauvaise excuse. donner, apporter, alleguer une excuse. mediter, forger une excuse, des excuses. il a… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Excuse — Ex*cuse , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Excused}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Excusing}.] [OE. escusen, cusen, OF. escuser, excuser, F. excuser, fr. L. excusare; ex out + causa cause, causari to plead. See {Cause}.] 1. To free from accusation, or the imputation of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Excuse — Ex*cuse , n. [Cf. F. excuse. See {Excuse}, v. t.] 1. The act of excusing, apologizing, exculpating, pardoning, releasing, and the like; acquittal; release; absolution; justification; extenuation. [1913 Webster] Pleading so wisely in excuse of it …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Excuse Me Mr. — Excuse Me Mr. Saltar a navegación, búsqueda «Excuse Me Mr.» Sencillo de No Doubt del álbum Tragic kingdom Publicación 1996 (América) Formato CD Single …   Wikipedia Español

  • excuse — vb Excuse, condone, pardon, forgive, remit are comparable when meaning not to exact punishment or redress for (an offense) or from (an offender). In polite use excuse, pardon, and forgive usually suggest a hope that one is not annoyed. Both… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • excuse — [ek skyo͞oz′, ikskyo͞oz′; ] for n. [, ekskyo͞os′] vt. excused, excusing [ME excusen < OFr escuser & L excusare, to free from a charge < L ex , from + causa, a charge: see CAUSE] 1. to try to free (a person) of blame; seek to exonerate 2. to …   English World dictionary

  • excuse — ► VERB 1) seek or serve to justify (a fault or offence). 2) release from a duty or requirement. 3) forgive (a fault or a person committing one). 4) (used in polite formulas) allow (someone) to leave a room or gathering. 5) (excuse oneself) say… …   English terms dictionary

  • excuse-me — or excuse me dance noun A dance during which one may change partners • • • Main Entry: ↑excuse …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”