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
Rick Cantu, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
With locations in both Brickell and Wynwood, this high-energy karaoke lounge is basically already in your backyard — no excuses.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Amazon's Deals of the Day have dropped the price on epic gaming hardware, so gamers like me can finally stop making excuses and start making plays.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Mar. 2026
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
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
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
Noun
Chaps coach Vickie Benson offered no excuses for the loss.
—Rick Cantu, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
With locations in both Brickell and Wynwood, this high-energy karaoke lounge is basically already in your backyard — no excuses.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Amazon's Deals of the Day have dropped the price on epic gaming hardware, so gamers like me can finally stop making excuses and start making plays.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excuses
Noun
-
But these justifications also feel like something of an excuse.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
In other words, all the old patriotic and moral justifications for our forever wars no longer applied.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many women face unique financial realities, such as career breaks, caregiving, and longer life expectancy, yet most financial advice ignores these factors, which can affect women in ways that differ from those of men, according to NerdWallet's personal finance expert Kimberly Palmer.—
Janay Reece,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The real ocean, of course, ignores those assumptions entirely.—
Marcos Magaña,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 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
-
But they were chosen as the targets for the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) to assess our planetary defense capabilities, Makadia explains.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In the first episode, the peacemaking mission between Josh and Seth, in rural Montana, completely falls apart, and the mediator—who explains that this is his first official mediation—mostly just stands there as the neighbors trade insults and issue threats.—
Tyler Foggatt,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And one of the reasons Nix wasn’t healthy was that the signal-caller had to pick up more slack in the run game once Dobbins was gone.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
-
For similar reasons, many of the foundations and artists’ estates once considered the ultimate authorities (like the Keith Haring Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts) have ceased offering authentication services.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There is no blanket federal program that automatically forgives credit card debt simply because someone is a veteran.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
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 home’s glass-and-stone architecture overlooks one of the region’s defining natural corridors.—
David Caraccio
March 7,
Sacbee.com,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The main level has oak wood flooring, a living room with an 11-foot ceiling, and a gas fireplace and overlooks Bellevue Place.—
Lauryn Azu,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excuses. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
