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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of excuses
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The excuses that may have limited previous staffs don’t explain Napier’s 22-23 tenure and the worst winning percentage by a full-time Florida coach in 65 years.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The conditions offered Miami no excuses.
—Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Wear them on a casual hike or during your morning coffee run—you’ll find endless excuses to break them out of your suitcase this season.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
While other parts of the county got cleaner water, stronger investments and faster government responses, our community got excuses.
—Paloma Aguirre, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
The lead actors likewise find the balance between understanding these people and making excuses for them.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Without making excuses, those controversies come with the territory of being one of Hollywood’s most fearless actresses.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
The Palestinian national cause can indeed be a magnet for anti-Semites looking for excuses to censure Jews or Israel, such as David Duke and Candace Owens.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
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
Californians deserve answers, not more excuses.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The excuses that may have limited previous staffs don’t explain Napier’s 22-23 tenure and the worst winning percentage by a full-time Florida coach in 65 years.
—Matt Baker, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The conditions offered Miami no excuses.
—Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Wear them on a casual hike or during your morning coffee run—you’ll find endless excuses to break them out of your suitcase this season.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
While other parts of the county got cleaner water, stronger investments and faster government responses, our community got excuses.
—Paloma Aguirre, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
The lead actors likewise find the balance between understanding these people and making excuses for them.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Without making excuses, those controversies come with the territory of being one of Hollywood’s most fearless actresses.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
The Palestinian national cause can indeed be a magnet for anti-Semites looking for excuses to censure Jews or Israel, such as David Duke and Candace Owens.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
-
Local leaders, on the other hand, continued to push back on the administration's justifications and the administration's characterizations of violence in their cities.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
9 Oct. 2025
-
One of Russia's justifications for launching its war against Ukraine was to thwart Kyiv's ambitions to join NATO, which Moscow regards as a serious threat to its national security.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And anybody who ignores these issues does so at their peril.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
-
This willfully blinkered vision, or, more precisely, reëlection platform, ignores the cost in global opinion along with the moral and political fractures within Israel itself.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Rethinking Schools’ text justifies much of the Black Panther Party’s mission, despite its members’ open calls for violent revolution against the United States and their many armed, and occasionally deadly, confrontations with law enforcement and rival activists.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The church must name abuse as sin and reject any misuse of Scripture that justifies endurance in violence.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The below-ground theme park, as historian Ashleigh Androsoff explains, offers tours purporting to tell two local stories.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Star Andrew Garfield explains why the characters make things worse for themselves.—
Gerrad Hall,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Due process requires a commitment to the reasons punishment is sought and thus allows those reasons to be addressed and countered.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Advertisers still crave the broad, simultaneous viewership such extravaganzas generate, and marketers that in the past might not have spent heavily on sports now see new reasons to do so.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The organization purchases medical debt for pennies on the dollar and then forgives it, focusing on individuals with high debt-to-income ratios.—
Beth Warren,
The Tennessean,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Trump pardons couple in 2025 Julie, 52, was sentenced to seven years at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, though that sentence was eventually reduced.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Disney's Parr House overlooks Cotino Bay, a massive body of water that guests will also be able to traverse via different types of watercraft.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The hotel contains 15 rooms and a pool exclusively for guests that overlooks the ocean.—
Emilio Parra Doiztua,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excuses. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share