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
Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
The people who should be as jaded as the players are the owners, who must tire of excuses from sporting directors and managers about the limited results all this capital expenditure is delivering.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Arenas isn’t one to make excuses.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Republicans believe the basic job of government is to protect law-abiding people, keep violent criminals behind bars, and stand with victims instead of making excuses for the system that failed them.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
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
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
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
Noun
As the spotlight settles on each of them, that person unspools a monologue, a candid account of their origins, their desires and dreams, their galaxy of excuses and explanations.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
The people who should be as jaded as the players are the owners, who must tire of excuses from sporting directors and managers about the limited results all this capital expenditure is delivering.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Arenas isn’t one to make excuses.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Republicans believe the basic job of government is to protect law-abiding people, keep violent criminals behind bars, and stand with victims instead of making excuses for the system that failed them.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excuses
Noun
-
These fragments often convey shifting or conflicting justifications.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
The Times writer also ignores other aspects of the Iranian threat.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2026
-
But this indignation ignores what Chalamet was actually saying.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
13 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
-
The brand grew out of Pacific Pharma (now part of Amorepacific), which explains its derm-minded approach.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
21 Mar. 2026
-
This is where the real magic will happen, the Navy explains.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Founded by Thomas Edison, the American inventor of the electric lightbulb, the company was long an orphan in the GE corporate portfolio, kept more for sentimental reasons, some analysts believed, than commercial ones.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
17 Mar. 2026
-
But even casual high school boys basketball fans in the western suburbs recognize the Wolves as a force to be reckoned with by going toe-to-toe against top programs in the state under the direction of Velasquez, who is stepping down for some very good personal reasons.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
17 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
-
History often overlooks women—especially in an industry like the outdoors, which was dominated by men for so long.—
Abigail Wise,
Outside,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Asset protection that focuses only on jurisdiction overlooks the economics of dispute.—
Ascend Agency,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excuses. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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