excuses
excuses — verb
1. to stop blaming someone for a mistake, or to treat the fault as not very serious
to stop blaming someone for a mistake, or to treat the fault as not very serious
The teacher excuses small spelling mistakes in first-week homework.
excuse + mistake
Nia excuses her brother's rude reply because he was sick.
Our neighbors excuse noisy children during the street festival each summer.
The judge rarely excuses careless driving after midnight crashes.
文法句型
excuse someone
excuse something
excuse someone for something
用法筆記
Often used when a person in authority, or someone affected by the mistake, decides not to stay angry or strict about it.
2. to say that someone does not need to attend, do a task, or stay any longer
to say that someone does not need to attend, do a task, or stay any longer
The nurse excuses Rafael from gym after the ankle injury.
excuse someone from + activity
Maeve's manager excused her from the late meeting yesterday.
The chair excuses both interns once the budget vote ends.
Please excuse Christopher early so he can catch the last ferry.
文法句型
excuse someone from class
excuse someone early
be excused from something
用法筆記
Common with school, work, meetings, and other duties. Distinguish it from sense 1, which is about forgiving a fault rather than releasing someone from an obligation.
3. said before speaking to a stranger or interrupting someone in a polite way
said before speaking to a stranger or interrupting someone in a polite way
Excuse me, is this seat free beside the window?
Excuse me before a question
Excuse me, which bus stops near the art museum?
Excuse me, your scarf fell near the bakery door.
Excuse me, could the cashier check this price for me?
文法句型
Excuse me, + question
Excuse me, + statement
用法筆記
Use this to open a conversation or get attention politely, especially with someone you do not know. Distinguish it from sense 4, where the same words ask for space to pass.
4. said when you want people to move aside and let you go through
said when you want people to move aside and let you go through
Excuse me, my stop is next, so I need the aisle.
Excuse me when moving past people
Excuse me, the nurse needs space to push the bed through.
Excuse me, could I squeeze past your cart at the market?
Excuse me, the delivery driver is carrying two heavy boxes.
文法句型
Excuse me, I need to get past
Excuse me, could I squeeze past
用法筆記
This sense asks for physical space, often in a bus, shop, or crowd. Distinguish it from sense 3, which simply gets someone's attention.
5. said as a polite sign that you need to leave the conversation or room
said as a polite sign that you need to leave the conversation or room
Excuse me, I need to answer a call outside.
Excuse me before leaving
Excuse me, our train leaves in ten minutes.
Excuse me, the babysitter is waiting at the front gate.
Excuse me, I should get back to the office.
文法句型
Excuse me, I need to go
Excuse me, our train leaves
用法筆記
Often used at meals, meetings, or visits when you need to step away. Distinguish it from sense 6, where you apologize for a small accidental action.
6. said after you bump someone, make a small mistake, or do something by accident
said after you bump someone, make a small mistake, or do something by accident
Excuse me, I stepped on your sketchbook in the hallway.
Excuse me after an accident
Excuse me, I knocked your coffee onto the counter.
Excuse me, the cart wheel brushed your ankle just now.
Excuse me, I sent that message to the wrong group.
文法句型
Excuse me, I + accidental action
Excuse me after a minor mistake
用法筆記
Use this when you are sorry about a small mistake or inconvenience. It is closer to a quick apology than to sense 5, where you are announcing your departure.
7. said before politely telling someone that you think they are wrong
said before politely telling someone that you think they are wrong
Excuse me, that figure comes from last year's report, not this one.
Excuse me before disagreement
Excuse me, I remember the meeting date as Thursday.
Excuse me, the blue file belongs to Liang, not me.
Excuse me, that rule changed after the safety review.
文法句型
Excuse me, that's not ...
Excuse me, I remember ...
用法筆記
More common in careful or slightly formal speech. It softens disagreement before the correction itself.
8. said when you did not hear something and want the other person to say it again
said when you did not hear something and want the other person to say it again
Excuse me, the music was loud, so I missed your name.
Excuse me when asking for repetition
Excuse me, could you repeat the room number slowly?
Excuse me, Shanti spoke softly, and I caught only half.
Excuse me, what did the guide say about lunch?
文法句型
Excuse me, could you repeat ...
Excuse me, what did you say?
用法筆記
Use this when the problem is hearing, not understanding the idea itself. Distinguish it from sense 3, where you are only opening a polite question.
9. to be used as a reason that makes an action seem acceptable
to be used as a reason that makes an action seem acceptable
A tight schedule never excuses cheating on the final exam.
nothing excuses + behavior
Cold weather does not excuse rude treatment of customers.
No rumor excuses posting private photos without permission.
Stress cannot excuse shouting at the younger players.
文法句型
nothing excuses something
does not excuse something
cannot excuse something
用法筆記
Common in judgments about rules and behavior. Distinguish it from sense 1, where a person forgives the fault instead of arguing that the fault was acceptable.
excuses — noun
1. a reason someone gives to explain bad behavior, a broken promise, or another fau
a reason someone gives to explain bad behavior, a broken promise, or another fault
The principal rejected all excuses for the missing library books.
excuses for + problem
Kian offered three excuses for arriving after the school gate closed.
The report listed no excuses for the broken safety lock.
Her parents were tired of hearing excuses about the lost key.
文法句型
an excuse for something
offer excuses for something
用法筆記
This sense can describe a true or partly true explanation. Distinguish it from sense 2, which suggests the reason is not believable.
2. an explanation you do not really believe, used to hide the real reason
an explanation you do not really believe, used to hide the real reason
Everyone knew traffic was only an excuse for skipping rehearsal.
use something as an excuse
The broken printer became his excuse for missing the deadline.
Sleepiness was a weak excuse for not calling her grandmother.
The team laughed when rain became another excuse to cancel practice.
文法句型
an excuse for something
use something as an excuse
用法筆記
This sense is negative and often implies that the speaker does not accept the reason. It is stronger than sense 1.
3. a message or written note saying why someone cannot come to school, work, or ano
a message or written note saying why someone cannot come to school, work, or another event
Rafael brought two excuses from home after last week's illness.
bring an excuse from home
The coach collected excuses before marking the swimmers absent.
Parents must email excuses to the office before noon.
The school nurse filed all excuses in a blue folder.
文法句型
bring an excuse
send an excuse to school
用法筆記
Often used in school settings for a short note or message about an absence. Distinguish it from sense 1, which is the explanation itself rather than the note carrying it.
4. reasons, often not honest ones, that people give to avoid doing something
reasons, often not honest ones, that people give to avoid doing something
Sivan ran out of excuses for not cleaning the shared kitchen.
run out of excuses
The committee was tired of excuses for delaying the repair work.
Hiro made excuses to avoid calling the travel insurer.
By Friday, the interns had no excuses left for missing training.
文法句型
make excuses to avoid something
run out of excuses
用法筆記
Usually plural and often suggests repeated avoidance. Distinguish it from sense 2, which can describe one specific false reason.