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English word:    

excuse

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excuse in WordNet English dictionary

noun
  1. 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  alibi  exculpation  self-justification 
  2. a poor example
    "it was an apology for a meal"; "a poor excuse for an automobile"
    apology  excuse 
  3. a note explaining an absence
    "he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him"
    excuse 
verb
  1. defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
    "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success"
    apologize  apologise  excuse  justify  rationalize  rationalise 
  2. ask for permission to be released from an engagement
    excuse  beg off 
  3. excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with
    "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities"
    excuse  condone 
  4. accept an excuse for
    "Please excuse my dirty hands"
    excuse  pardon 
  5. 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 may explain her reluctance to date again"
    excuse  explain 
  6. grant exemption or release to
    "Please excuse me from this class"
    excuse  relieve  let off  exempt 
WordNet Lexical Database v3.0, © 2006 Princeton University