1. a reason given to explain or justify a fault or offense
2. a poor or inadequate reason for something

1. to forgive someone for a minor fault or offense
2. to give a reason to justify or explain something
3. to allow someone to leave or be absent

Examples

• She gave a weak excuse for being late to the meeting.
• There’s no excuse for such rude behavior.
• Please excuse me, I need to take this phone call.
• The teacher excused him from class early.
• He tried to excuse his mistake by blaming others.
• Excuse me, could you help me find the library?
• Nothing can excuse what happened yesterday.