excuse me

idiom

1

—used as a polite way of starting to say something

Excuse me, but do you mind if I shut the window?

2

—used as a polite way of starting to interrupt someone

Excuse me, but may I say something?

3

—used as a polite way of trying to get someone's attention

Excuse me, do you know where I can find Maple Street?

4

—used as a polite way of starting to say one disagrees with someone

Excuse me, but I don't think those figures are entirely accurate.

5

—used as a polite apology for a minor fault or offense, such as laughing, coughing, or burping

6

US

—used as a polite apology for getting in someone's way or bumping into someone

Oh, excuse me. I didn't notice you standing there.

7

chiefly US

—used as a polite way of asking someone to repeat something

Excuse me? I didn't hear the last part of what you were saying.

8

informal

—often used in an annoyed way when someone has suggested that a person has done something wrong and the person does not agree

"You were supposed to be home an hour ago." "Well, excuse me! I had to fix a flat tire."

Examples of excuse me in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The campaign – excuse me – the White House is focused on doing more of that, sending him out to some of the key battlegrounds. —Nbc Universal, NBC News, 11 Feb. 2024

But navigating language barriers in Turkey wasn’t quite as simple as figuring out how to order a glass of cava in Madrid or saying ‘excuse me’ while getting on a crowded metro car in Rome. —Kaitlyn McInnis, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Jan. 2024

Oh, excuse me, their preferred appellation is Claremont Village. —Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024

To be doing this where there really is so much camaraderie with women is so — excuse me, Jon — [cool]. —Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2023

But of course, at the same time, any effort to strike a brutal and – or excuse me, to strike a blow against Hamas should be done consistent with clear objectives and should also be done in a way that protects innocent civilians, so – KRISTEN WELKER: But who will govern Gaza? —Nbc Universal, NBC News, 15 Oct. 2023

One Twitter—excuse me—X user even felt the need to drag Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn into the fray. —Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 7 Aug. 2023

The scene looked, for the most part, like a kid-friendly science fiction movie, a robot bazaar where the machines move slowly, say excuse me and execute limited tasks like picking up objects and dropping them. —Ben Ryder Howe Nic Antaya, New York Times, 29 July 2023

Sure, Nick Chubb is still the top dog -- excuse me, dawg -- in the room and one of the best backs in the league. —Ashley Bastock, cleveland, 12 July 2023