1
as in ignoring
to dismiss as of little importance
more often than not, voters are willing to excuse a candidate's youthful indiscretion
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifying
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 explaining
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 excusing
Some Republicans and Democrats criticized Vance’s response for excusing or downplaying the nature of the chat messages.
—
Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Celebrating or excusing violence is abhorrent.
—ABC News, 21 Sep. 2025
Procedures for excusing or deferring jury duty differs by county, according to the state’s judicial website.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2025
Ans suggests, before politely excusing himself to go do pre-race pull-ups with his brother in the woods across the street.
—Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
This doesn’t mean excusing harmful behavior.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Celebrating or excusing violence is abhorrent.
—ABC News, 21 Sep. 2025
Procedures for excusing or deferring jury duty differs by county, according to the state’s judicial website.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2025
Ans suggests, before politely excusing himself to go do pre-race pull-ups with his brother in the woods across the street.
—Abe Beame, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
This doesn’t mean excusing harmful behavior.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excusing
Verb
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Wrapped in a blanked on the sofa, binging reruns of The Oprah Show on YouTube and gleefully ignoring emails all morning is my idea of heaven.—
Jackie Fields,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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On July 4, after Zane confessed to feeling guilty about ignoring more texts from his family members, the chatbot offered to help Zane craft a terse message to them.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Judge Ellis found that Bovino wasn’t hit in the head with a rock prior to deploying tear gas despite claims from the Department of Homeland Security justifying the use of force.—
Bill Kirkos,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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While working on the project, costs ballooned unexpectedly—reaching well over six figures—and this doctrine became an important reminder when justifying the expenses.—
Michelle Duncan,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The leader of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that fights antisemitism, is explaining his group's decision to set up a special project to monitor Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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Ukraine knows about the value of culture as soft power and spends a lot of money explaining to the world what’s going on in their country.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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We were impressed by the spacious interior, which was large enough to easily fit our entire four-day packing list and left ample room for an extra few outfits or souvenirs thanks to the brand’s forgiving free-flex zipper technology.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
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It was mismanaged for years until recently, when former President Joe Biden reformed it, ultimately forgiving billions of dollars in debt for more than 1 million Americans.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Jacobson Moore is trying to get Daniel’s sentence reduced, citing extenuating circumstances.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
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As reported by The Athletic last week, Aston Martin still had to enter an Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA) with the FIA to recognize its late submission which resulted from extenuating circumstances beyond the team’s control.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With just 13 bedrooms overlooking Bantry Bay, the hotel stands as an intimate ode to art and viticulture.—
Emily Baldwin,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
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From his apartment overlooking the Narta Lagoon in Albania’s picturesque south, 72-year-old Jorgaq Subashi can glimpse the land he was awarded in 1993 as part of the government’s attempt to return property.—
Lindita Cela,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excusing. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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