as in justifications
an explanation that frees one from fault or blame
"a really important business call" is no excuse for not paying proper attention to one's driving
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in ignores
to dismiss as of little importance
more often than not, voters are willing to excuse a candidate's youthful indiscretion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifies
to be an acceptable reason for
having a female passenger in labor will generally excuse a little disregard for the speed limit
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in explains
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses
he's always excusing his chronic lying by claiming that everybody lies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of excuses
Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, suggested the possible advantage was only worth a few horsepower — not the few tenths of a second some rivals had feared — and that other teams were potentially looking for excuses before the season had even started.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
Structural barriers were addressed directly, not accepted as excuses.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
But for Cramer, these are nothing but excuses.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2026
There were no excuses needed in Wednesday night’s victory at Viejas, where the Aztecs breathed in the sea-level air, welcomed Gwath and Harrington back to the starting lineup and watched Dixon-Waters provide the first-half spark.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The younger guys, who may make excuses or shy away when a coach challenges them, will respect what players like Goldstein or senior catcher Gianni Corral have to say.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Feb. 2026
But there were no excuses for the visibly-ill Strong, who finished with her seventh double-double of the season logging 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, five steals and three blocks.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2026
But these excuses make no sense, said Margaret Sullivan in The Guardian.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 17 Feb. 2026
Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
The rep excuses herself; in the hallway, Stephen congratulates Lucy.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
So people tend to define antisemitism in a way that excuses their side, and that throws all of the blame on the other side.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
For true Second Amendment advocates, Pretti’s decision to bring a gun to a protest in no way excuses his killing.
—The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Nick excuses the killing of Renee Good for blocking traffic, but the videos clearly show that traffic was going around her.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026
Researchers emphasized that none of these conditions excuses Hitler’s actions or policies.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 Nov. 2025
Their cry is not against the faith itself but against distorted theology that excuses cruelty.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
When Glenna excuses herself to go check on Lady Ellen, Julia thanks the woman and then proceeds to sneakily follow her straight up to Ellen’s quarters.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
They were later given other excuses for why payments had ceased.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, suggested the possible advantage was only worth a few horsepower — not the few tenths of a second some rivals had feared — and that other teams were potentially looking for excuses before the season had even started.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
Structural barriers were addressed directly, not accepted as excuses.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
But for Cramer, these are nothing but excuses.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2026
There were no excuses needed in Wednesday night’s victory at Viejas, where the Aztecs breathed in the sea-level air, welcomed Gwath and Harrington back to the starting lineup and watched Dixon-Waters provide the first-half spark.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The younger guys, who may make excuses or shy away when a coach challenges them, will respect what players like Goldstein or senior catcher Gianni Corral have to say.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Feb. 2026
But there were no excuses for the visibly-ill Strong, who finished with her seventh double-double of the season logging 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, five steals and three blocks.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2026
But these excuses make no sense, said Margaret Sullivan in The Guardian.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
In professional sports, excuses age quickly.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
The rep excuses herself; in the hallway, Stephen congratulates Lucy.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
So people tend to define antisemitism in a way that excuses their side, and that throws all of the blame on the other side.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
For true Second Amendment advocates, Pretti’s decision to bring a gun to a protest in no way excuses his killing.
—The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Nick excuses the killing of Renee Good for blocking traffic, but the videos clearly show that traffic was going around her.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026
Researchers emphasized that none of these conditions excuses Hitler’s actions or policies.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 Nov. 2025
Their cry is not against the faith itself but against distorted theology that excuses cruelty.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
When Glenna excuses herself to go check on Lady Ellen, Julia thanks the woman and then proceeds to sneakily follow her straight up to Ellen’s quarters.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excuses
Noun
-
Past administrations offered legal and moral justifications for military inventions, such as the Bush administration’s claims that Iraq was a just war.—
Gerard F. Powers,
The Conversation,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Their videos have turned American public opinion squarely against these operations and undercut the administration’s justifications for use of force.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Still, the disagreements in the region have been hard to ignores.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Connecticut currently regulates licensed cannabis with a level of intensity that ignores relative risk.—
Rino Ferrarese,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This justifies using the average premium SVOD churn rate, even though Paramount+ has traditionally fallen short of it.—
Andrew Root,
Sportico.com,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The constraint, Dolci says, is not audience demand – the performance of existing screens more than justifies expansion – but the availability of suitable sites.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This explains why parents have so little patience for the complaint.—
Daniel Smith,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2026
-
In that sense, Coddington explains that legacy is not measured solely by what is transferred.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Goldman Sachs cited a durable competitive moat and strong same-store sales growth as reasons to turn more bullish on Dutch Bros.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
-
For similar reasons, the ULPs against the NCAA, USC and UCLA were also pulled, effectively abandoning what had appeared to be a viable administrative pathway to securing employee status for college athletes.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The bottom line There is no federal program that directly forgives or restructures credit card debt, but that doesn't mean borrowers are stuck.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
8 Dec. 2025
-
Sinnott forgives his parents, and parents today who waver on vaccination.—
Arthur Allen,
Miami Herald,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Being the president and all, Richard pardons himself and Jenny.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Trump pardons 5 former NFL stars for wide-ranging crimes.—
,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The next morning, July 5th, gunmen appeared atop the Manbij Hotel, which overlooks the city’s central square.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The over 12,000-square-foot home was built in 2007 and overlooks the Farmington Valley with a view that stretches 78 miles into New York.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excuses. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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