as in excuses
an explanation that frees one from fault or blame
a student who always has a very creative alibi for undone homework or late papers
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Recent Examples of alibis
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2025
Noun
Guests are encouraged to interrogate everyone at their tables (and other tables) for seemingly suspicious backgrounds and alibis.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alibis
Noun
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The excuses really don’t matter.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
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These things are presented not as potential excuses for the Current’s one-win/two-loss start, but as context around it.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These fragments often convey shifting or conflicting justifications.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
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Shapiro’s office also determined that three of MassDOT’s seven selection committee members did not follow the instructions to record their scoring justifications on evaluation worksheets.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But as another voter rationalizes, the sheer size of the ballot will do more harm than good in the long run.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
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True crime, as a genre, rationalizes its exploitations—people’s tragedies and traumas, recast for popular consumption—by couching the sensationalism in considerations of justice.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In this case, that blend of tradition and artistic interpretation resulted in a final product that stood out—if not entirely for the reasons the bride expected.—
Claire Dodds,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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One of the reasons American troops would be vulnerable on Kharg Island is its close proximity to the Iranian mainland, from which missiles, drones and artillery could be fired.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Alibis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alibis. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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