excusing
excusing — verb
- excusingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- excusings3rd person singular
- excusinging-ing form
- excusingedpast simple
1. to tell someone that you no longer blame them for a minor mistake, wrong act, or
to tell someone that you no longer blame them for a minor mistake, wrong act, or lack of politeness, choosing to let the matter go.
Salma excused her brother's rude joke and did not bring it up again.
excuse + possessive + noun (someone's behavior)
Please excuse my messy handwriting — I wrote this on the bus.
The manager excused the team's late report because of the power cut.
Can you excuse my daughter's loud voice? She is just very excited about the trip.
asking someone to forgive another person's behavior
Nila's friends excused her forgetfulness, knowing how busy she had been.
- excuse a mistake
- excuse the delay
- excuse someone's behavior
Grammar Patterns
excuse + noun phrase (the fault, the mistake, the behavior)
Usage Note
Typically used for minor faults, not serious crimes or moral failings. The object is often a behavior, mistake, or lack of politeness rather than the person themselves.
Common Mistakes
2. to free someone from a duty, class, meeting, or other obligation that would norm
to free someone from a duty, class, meeting, or other obligation that would normally apply to them.
The doctor excused Stefan from gym class because of his broken arm.
excuse + person + from + noun phrase
Students who had finished the reading list were excused from the final test.
passive: be excused from [obligation]
My mother excused me from washing the dishes since I had a headache.
Ravindra was excused from jury duty because of his work schedule.
The coach excused the injured players from practice but asked them to watch.
- excuse from class
- excuse from work
- excuse from duty
Grammar Patterns
excuse + person + from + noun phrase
Usage Note
Frequently used in the passive (be excused from). The subject is typically an authority figure (teacher, doctor, parent, manager). The obligation is often school, work, or social events.
Common Mistakes
3. a polite expression spoken to a stranger whose attention you want before speakin
a polite expression spoken to a stranger whose attention you want before speaking to them, for instance to ask a question or to hand them something.
Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the train station from here?
Excuse me, + request for directions
Excuse me, do you know what time the museum opens tomorrow?
Excuse me, I think you dropped your wallet on the floor just now.
Excuse me, is there a post office near this street?
A woman came up to Eve and said, 'Excuse me, are you looking for someone?'
Excuse me, + question (opening a conversation with a stranger)
- pardon me
slightly more formal, less common in everyday speech
Grammar Patterns
Excuse me, + question / request
Usage Note
Distinguish from MOVE PAST (sense 4): this sense opens a conversation, while sense 4 asks for physical passage. Distinguish from DISAGREE (sense 7 in another batch): this sense does NOT challenge the listener's statement.
Common Mistakes
❌ Using 'Sorry' instead of 'Excuse me' to get attention: 'Sorry, where is the bank?' → use 'Excuse me' for attention and 'sorry' after an accident.
4. said politely when you need someone to move aside, allowing you to continue walk
said politely when you need someone to move aside, allowing you to continue walking through a crowded or tight space.
Excuse me, I need to get off the bus at the next stop.
Excuse me, + reason for needing to pass
Excuse me, could you move your bag so I can sit down?
Evelyn pushed through the crowd saying 'excuse me' until she reached the front.
excuse me used repeatedly while moving through a crowd
Excuse me, please let me through — this is my floor.
Kian tapped a passenger and asked, 'Excuse me, can I get to my seat?'
- pardon me
more formal, used in British English
Grammar Patterns
Excuse me, + request to pass
Usage Note
Often accompanied by body language (touching a shoulder, moving past). Unlike GET ATTENTION (sense 3), this sense is always about physical movement through a space.
Common Mistakes
5. said to let others know you are going away from a group, a room, or an event, us
said to let others know you are going away from a group, a room, or an event, usually for a short time or for a particular reason.
Excuse me for a moment — I need to take this call from my boss.
Excuse me + for a moment (temporary departure)
Excuse me, but I really must get home before it gets dark outside.
Jisoo excused herself from the meeting to pick up her son from school.
reflexive: excuse + oneself + from + noun
Excuse me, everyone — I have to leave early today due to a family dinner.
After dessert, Asher excused himself and went upstairs to do his homework.
- excuse yourself from the table
- excuse yourself from the room
Grammar Patterns
Excuse me, + statement of leaving
excuse + reflexive pronoun (+ from + noun)
Usage Note
When used with a reflexive pronoun (excuse oneself), it describes gracefully leaving a social situation. The plain 'Excuse me' form is for brief or immediate departures.
Common Mistakes
6. used as a polite way of saying you are sorry for a small accidental action, such
used as a polite way of saying you are sorry for a small accidental action, such as bumping into someone, interrupting, or making a noise.
Oh, excuse me — I did not see you standing behind me.
Excuse me for a minor physical accident
Excuse me, I accidentally spilled coffee on your desk. Let me clean it up.
Daichi bumped into a woman on the escalator and said 'excuse me' right away.
Excuse me, I did not know you were on the phone when I walked in.
Excuse me for an interruption
Soraya said 'excuse me' after accidentally stepping on her friend's foot.
- sorry
more common for apologies; 'excuse me' is lighter and more automatic for tiny accidents
Grammar Patterns
Excuse me, + explanation / apology
Usage Note
Distinguish from APOLOGIZE FOR ACCIDENT using 'sorry': 'Excuse me' is used for very small accidents right as or right after they happen. For more serious mistakes, native speakers use 'I'm sorry' or 'I apologize'.
Common Mistakes
7. used to politely introduce an opinion that is different from what someone else h
used to politely introduce an opinion that is different from what someone else has just said, or to correct someone without being rude.
Excuse me, but I think you have misunderstood the main point of the article.
Excuse me, Emre, but the store closes at nine, not eight.
formula: 'Excuse me, [name], but...' for polite correction
Excuse me, Professor Hana, but I believe your calculation is slightly wrong.
Excuse me, but I do not agree that this plan will save us any money.
- pardon me
more formal, used especially in American English
8. used as a polite way to ask someone to say again what they have just said, becau
used as a polite way to ask someone to say again what they have just said, because you did not hear or understand it.
Excuse me? I did not hear your question about the project deadline.
Excuse me? Could you repeat that last instruction more slowly?
rising intonation: 'Excuse me?' to signal you did not hear
Excuse me, Tanvi? I missed what you said about the bus schedule.
Excuse me, Karim? The noise from the traffic made it hard to hear you.
9. to offer reasons for something wrong or unpleasant that you or someone else has
to offer reasons for something wrong or unpleasant that you or someone else has done, in order to make it seem less serious or to avoid blame.
Talia tried to excuse her rude comments by claiming she was just joking.
pattern: excuse + someone's + behaviour/comments
Luca excused himself for leaving the party early by saying he felt ill.
pattern: excuse + oneself + for + gerund
A difficult family background does not excuse hurting other people on purpose.
Marco excused his poor exam results by blaming the difficulty of the questions.
Adina excused the delay by explaining that the package got lost in the mail.
pattern: excuse + noun phrase + by + gerund
- excuse + behaviour / conduct / comments / absence / mistake / lateness
- excuse + oneself
- excuse + someone + for + doing something
- justify
stronger; suggests providing logical reasons rather than simply avoiding blame
- rationalize
implies creating seemingly reasonable explanations that may not reflect the true reason
- defend
focuses on arguing against an accusation rather than explaining away wrongdoing
Grammar Patterns
excuse + noun phrase
excuse + oneself + for + gerund
excuse + noun phrase + by + gerund
Usage Note
Frequently used with a reflexive pronoun (excuse yourself) followed by 'for' and a gerund when explaining your own actions.
Common Mistakes
excusing — noun
1. the act of forgiving someone for a minor fault or choosing not to hold them resp
the act of forgiving someone for a minor fault or choosing not to hold them responsible for a mistake
The teacher's quick excusing of late homework annoyed students who turned theirs in on time.
possessive + excusing + of + noun phrase
Henrik believed that excusing bad behaviour would only lead to bigger problems later in life.
True excusing means letting go of anger, not just saying that everything is fine.
The manager's excusing of repeated lateness made the rest of the team feel unfairly treated.
- the excusing of
- quick excusing
- easy excusing
- blaming
holding someone responsible rather than excusing them
Grammar Patterns
the excusing of + noun / someone
Usage Note
Uncountable noun form of the verb 'excuse'; most common in possessive structures like 'someone's excusing of something'.
Common Mistakes
2. the act of offering explanations for a mistake or fault, especially when those e
the act of offering explanations for a mistake or fault, especially when those explanations are not fully honest or are not accepted by others
Vivek's constant excusing of his lateness with traffic stories annoyed his colleagues.
possessive + excusing + of + noun phrase
Stop excusing your mistakes and just admit when you are wrong about something.
Yara's excusing of herself from every party made her friends wonder if something was wrong.
excusing + oneself + from + noun phrase
The boy's excusing of his unfinished homework only frustrated his teacher even more.
Vinícius kept excusing himself to leave early, but nobody believed his reasons.
- constant excusing
- excusing of
- there is no excusing
- making excuses
more explicit paraphrase of the gerund meaning
- rationalizing
implies creating logical-sounding but untrue explanations
- accepting blame
admitting fault rather than offering explanations
Grammar Patterns
possessive + excusing + of + noun phrase
there is no excusing + noun phrase
Usage Note
The gerund 'excusing' refers to the general act of offering explanations, unlike the countable noun 'excuse' which refers to a specific explanation. Typically used with a possessive (e.g., 'his constant excusing') or in negative constructions ('there is no excusing').
Common Mistakes
3. the act of politely expressing regret for failing to do something you were expec
the act of politely expressing regret for failing to do something you were expected to do
Romi's quiet excusing of her lateness was accepted by the manager without comment.
possessive + excusing + of + noun phrase
Please accept my excusing of the delay in replying to your email last week.
formal register: 'please accept my excusing of'
Lakan's brief excusing of the broken glass was accepted by the host politely.
A formal excusing of absence was delivered to the committee the following morning.
- excusing of
- formal excusing
- quiet excusing
- apologizing
stronger admission of fault; 'excusing' is softer and often accompanied by an explanation
Grammar Patterns
possessive + excusing + of + noun phrase
excusing of + noun phrase
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 2: this sense emphasises politeness and regret, not defending oneself. Common in formal written language (letters, emails) with a possessive structure like 'my excusing of...'.
4. the act of providing a written or formal explanation for why someone was absent
the act of providing a written or formal explanation for why someone was absent from school, work, or an event
Jin handed his mother's written excusing of his absence to the teacher at the door.
possessive + written excusing + of + absence
You need a doctor's excusing if you miss more than three days of work.
doctor's excusing — medical justification for absence
Shanti's excusing of her daughter's absence was accepted by the school office yesterday.
Without a parent's written excusing of the absence, the school marks it as unexcused.
- written excusing
- doctor's excusing
- excusing of absence
- note explaining absence
more explicit paraphrase; 'excusing' is more concise
Grammar Patterns
possessive + excusing + of + noun phrase
written excusing of
Usage Note
Typically used in school and workplace settings with a possessive (e.g., 'a doctor's excusing', 'a parent's excusing'). The gerund form refers to the act or document of explaining absence, not the reason itself.
Common Mistakes
5. the act of providing a reason that makes an action or situation seem right or un
the act of providing a reason that makes an action or situation seem right or understandable, when it might otherwise seem wrong
There is no excusing cruelty to others, no matter how angry you happen to feel.
negative pattern: 'there is no excusing' + noun phrase
Kofi believed there was no excusing rudeness to customers just because you are tired.
The company's excusing of salary cuts as an economic necessity angered many workers.
possessive + excusing + of + noun + as + noun phrase
Poverty is used as an excusing of crime, but most poor people obey the law.
- there is no excusing
- excusing of
- used as an excusing
- justifying
more formal; suggests a more carefully reasoned moral defence
Grammar Patterns
there is no excusing + noun/gerund
possessive + excusing + of + noun phrase
Usage Note
Unlike sense 2, this sense is about abstract moral or social justification rather than specific excuses. Most common in negative statements ('there is no excusing').
Common Mistakes
Word family
- excuseverbB1
- excusenounB1
- excusedverb (past tense)B1
- excusableadjectiveB2
- inexcusableadjectiveB2
- excusablyadverbC1
- inexcusablyadverbC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Excuse, forgive, pardon, and overlook all involve not holding someone responsible for a fault, but they differ in emotional weight and context. 'Excuse' (the mildest, common in everyday speech) focuses on letting a minor mistake go without consequences — you excuse a late arrival or a rude comment. 'Forgive' carries stronger emotional depth: forgiving involves releasing feelings of anger or resentment, often for more serious wrongs (e.g., forgiving a betrayal). 'Pardon' is more formal and often legal in tone (the governor pardoned the prisoner). In everyday use it is primarily British and somewhat old-fashioned ('Pardon me'). 'Overlook' means choosing to ignore a fault deliberately without confronting it — you overlook a typo in a report or overlook a colleague's bad mood. Use 'excuse' for small social mistakes, 'forgive' for deeper personal hurt, and 'overlook' when you simply decide not to mention the fault at all.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'excuse' comes from Latin 'excusare', meaning 'to free from blame' — formed from 'ex-' (out of, away) and 'causa' (accusation, cause). It passed through Old French 'escuser' and entered Middle English in the 13th century as 'excuse(n)'. The gerund form 'excusing' follows the standard English pattern of adding '-ing' to a verb base. Over centuries the word broadened from a legal sense of releasing someone from an accusation to everyday forgiveness, and later developed the social politeness formulas ('Excuse me') that are now its most frequent uses.
First known use
13th century
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Noun