excuse

ex•cuse

v. [[t]ɪkˈskyuz[/t]] n. [[t]-ˈskyus[/t]] v. -cused, -cus•ing, n.

1) to regard or judge with indulgence; pardon or forgive; overlook (a fault, error, etc.)

2) to offer an apology for; seek to remove the blame of:

He excused his absence by saying that he was ill[/ex]

3) to serve as an apology or justification for; justify:

Ignorance of the law excuses no one[/ex]

4) to release from an obligation or duty:

to be excused from jury duty[/ex]

5) to seek or obtain exemption or release for (oneself):

to excuse oneself from a meeting[/ex]

6) to refrain from exacting; remit; dispense with:

to excuse a debt[/ex]

7) cvb to allow (someone) to leave:

If you'll excuse me, I have to make a telephone call[/ex]

8) 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

9) a ground or reason for excusing or being excused:

Ignorance is no excuse[/ex]

10) the act of excusing someone or something

11) a pretext or subterfuge

12) an inferior or inadequate specimen of something specified:

His latest effort is a poor excuse for a poem[/ex]

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- Excuse me

Etymology: 1175–1225; ME escusen < OF escuser < L excūsāre= ex- I+-cūsāre, der. of causa cause ex•cus′a•ble, adj. ex•cus′a•bly, adv. ex•cus′er, n. syn: excuse, forgive, pardon imply being lenient or giving up the wish to punish. excuse means to overlook some (usu.) slight offense, because of circumstance, realization that it was unintentional, or the like: to excuse rudeness. forgive is applied to excusing more serious offenses; the person wronged not only overlooks the offense but harbors no ill feeling against the offender: to forgive and forget. pardon often applies to an act of leniency or mercy by an official or superior; it usu. involves a serious offense or crime: The governor was asked to pardon the condemned criminal.