excuse

excuse is a 6-letter English word with 17 senses as transitive verb, noun, and verb in the JumbleFix dictionary. One common meaning is: To free from accusation, or the imputation of fault or blame; to clear from guilt; to release from a charge; to justify by extenuating a fault; to exculpate; to absolve; to acquit. Face value is 15 in Scrabble and 17 in Words With Friends. Use the entries below when you need a playable sense, a nearby word, or another arrangement of the same letters.

6 letters · Scrabble 15 · Words With Friends 17 · 17 senses

Definitions

1. transitive verb. To free from accusation, or the imputation of fault or blame; to clear from guilt; to release from a charge; to justify by extenuating a fault; to exculpate; to absolve; to acquit.
2. transitive verb. To pardon, as a fault; to forgive entirely, or to admit to be little censurable, and to overlook; as, we excuse irregular conduct, when extraordinary circumstances appear to justify it.
3. transitive verb. To regard with indulgence; to view leniently or to overlook; to pardon.
4. transitive verb. To free from an impending obligation or duty; hence, to disengage; to dispense with; to release by favor; also, to remit by favor; not to exact; as, to excuse a forfeiture.
5. transitive verb. To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.
6. transitive verb. The act of excusing, apologizing, exculpating, pardoning, releasing, and the like; acquittal; release; absolution; justification; extenuation.
7. transitive verb. That which is offered as a reason for being excused; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault or irregular deportment; apology; as, an excuse for neglect of duty; excuses for delay of payment.
8. transitive verb. That which excuses; that which extenuates or justifies a fault.
9. noun. a poor example

   "it was an apology for a meal"

   "a poor excuse for an automobile"

   Synonyms: apology

10. noun. a note explaining an absence

    "he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him"

11. noun. 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"

    Synonyms: alibi, exculpation

12. verb. excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with

    "excuse someone's behavior"

    "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities"

    Synonyms: condone

13. verb. 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"

    Synonyms: explain

14. verb. grant exemption or release to

    "Please excuse me from this class"

    Synonyms: exempt, relieve

15. verb. ask for permission to be released from an engagement
16. verb. defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

    "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"

    "he rationalized his lack of success"

    Synonyms: apologise, apologize, justify, rationalise, rationalize

17. verb. accept an excuse for

    "Please excuse my dirty hands"

    Synonyms: pardon

Synonyms

apology, alibi, exculpation, condone, explain, exempt, relieve, apologise, apologize, justify, rationalise, rationalize, pardon

Common word forms

excused, excuser, excuses, excusing, excuseful, excuseless

Words from these letters

If you are holding these tiles, the unscrambler for EXCUSE lists every valid word you can make from the same letters, including shorter plays.