• a poor example; "it was an apology for a meal"; "a poor Excuse for an automobile"
• a note explaining an absence; "he had to get his mother to write an Excuse for him"
• a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding Excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable"
• Excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with; "Excuse someone''s behavior"; "She condoned her husband''s occasional infidelities"
• serve as a reason or cause or justification of; "Your need to sleep late does not Excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce amy explain her reluctance to date again"
• grant exemption or release to; "Please Excuse me from this class"
• ask for permission to be released from an engagement
• defend, explain, clear away, or make Excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child''s seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success"
• accept an Excuse for; "Please Excuse my dirty hands"

'Excuse' in other languages