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.
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Recent Examples of excuses
Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
The Seminoles and Gators, however, have no excuses.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Mary disrupts Clark’s equilibrium with the Backrooms by refusing to validate his excuses for his behavior, fully calling out his failings, his petty assholery, and his glib, solipsistic lies.
—Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Williams said Melo keeps making excuses.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
The Washington Nationals could have pulled out a number of excuses to get them by had things gone astray Monday.
—Danielle Allentuck, Washington Post, 26 May 2026
The victims were promised a delivery window of four to six weeks, but were instead given endless excuses as weeks turned into months, with the watches never arriving.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 20 May 2026
But the watches never came, and Holdo made excuses to his buyers for weeks and months, prosecutors alleged.
—Andrea Klick, Daily News, 20 May 2026
Louderback, though, never made excuses or referred to others who might have prevented it from happening.
—Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 1 June 2026
The Justice Department says Bondi’s ouster excuses her from having to appear.
—NBC news, 12 Apr. 2026
Continue reading … MEDIA HALL PASS — Nashville public school excuses Muslim students for daily prayer time during Ramadan.
—FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
And while absolutely none of that excuses my actions, that's what happened.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
None of that excuses the crimes.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
Lost Lambs features an all-white cast in an anonymous American suburb, which excuses Cash from having to engage head-on with race.
—Malavika Kannan, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
Despite these recent developments, Platner has continued to receive silence, excuses, and outright support from prominent Democrats.
—Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
The Seminoles and Gators, however, have no excuses.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Mary disrupts Clark’s equilibrium with the Backrooms by refusing to validate his excuses for his behavior, fully calling out his failings, his petty assholery, and his glib, solipsistic lies.
—Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Williams said Melo keeps making excuses.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
The Washington Nationals could have pulled out a number of excuses to get them by had things gone astray Monday.
—Danielle Allentuck, Washington Post, 26 May 2026
The victims were promised a delivery window of four to six weeks, but were instead given endless excuses as weeks turned into months, with the watches never arriving.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 20 May 2026
But the watches never came, and Holdo made excuses to his buyers for weeks and months, prosecutors alleged.
—Andrea Klick, Daily News, 20 May 2026
Louderback, though, never made excuses or referred to others who might have prevented it from happening.
—Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
Verb
Because her beauty excuses all.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 1 June 2026
The Justice Department says Bondi’s ouster excuses her from having to appear.
—NBC news, 12 Apr. 2026
Continue reading … MEDIA HALL PASS — Nashville public school excuses Muslim students for daily prayer time during Ramadan.
—FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
And while absolutely none of that excuses my actions, that's what happened.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
None of that excuses the crimes.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
Lost Lambs features an all-white cast in an anonymous American suburb, which excuses Cash from having to engage head-on with race.
—Malavika Kannan, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excuses
Noun
-
These range from narratives on the current status of Crimea and justifications for the war in Ukraine to the history of NATO and justification for Russia’s annexation of Baltic states during World War II.—
Kyle Orland,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, the nation was entangled in costly foreign wars whose justifications seemed far removed from the immediate safety of Britain.—
Danielle Allen,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
On the other hand, many would question an admissions system based solely on academic test scores that ignores forms of achievement and potential those tests fail to capture.—
Prasad Krishnamurthy,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
-
All of this is to address a nonexistent competitive balance gap that ignores actual reality and historical data.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Lestat justifies his, uh, connection with Gabriella by arguing that vampires transcend petty human concepts like conventional morality.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
7 June 2026
-
Each new layer of ambition justifies a higher valuation, but the economics have not yet caught up with the narrative.—
Rory McDonald,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
That 10-goal swing explains most of the standings drop.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
Jerry Lanuzza, associate professor at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina, explains how to store alcohol, whether alcohol goes bad, and how long different types will last.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
This group of hotels, which premieres today across our US and UK markets, is special for many reasons.—
Erin Florio,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
That use case is one of the reasons why OpenAI is focused on building infrastructure, Altman said.—
Annie Palmer,Samantha Subin,Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
But Hannah, who sees his true good nature, forgives him.—
Kenneal Patterson,
Vanity Fair,
22 May 2026
-
While The Pitt forgives and empathizes with Robby’s flaws, Robby is not called on to extend that empathy to others.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
President Kennedy pardons his predecessor, Nixon, for his involvement in the Watergate scandal.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Being the president and all, Richard pardons himself and Jenny.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Insider tip Suite 203 overlooks Shadow Mountain and offers a view of one of Aspen’s quirkiest pieces of public art—a 10-foot-tall Yeti.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 June 2026
-
Two minutes from Split Rock Park and Devil’s Gulch, Humble Hill Winery overlooks Garretson.—
Taryn Shorr-Mckee,
Midwest Living,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excuses. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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