Simple meaning
What does Excuse mean?
An excuse is a reason for a mistake.
Dictionary definition
A reason given to explain or defend a mistake; also to forgive or allow someone to leave.
Example sentences
Excuse in a sentence
easy
He gave an excuse for being late.
medium
Please excuse me while I get a pencil.
hard
Good accountability uses fewer excuses and more solutions.
Synonyms
Words like Excuse
reasonUse when explaining why something happened.
justificationUse when trying to defend an action.
Antonyms
Opposite words
accountabilityUse when taking responsibility instead of excusing.
admissionUse when openly accepting fault.
Word family
Excuse word family
Base word
excuse
adjective
excusable
Able to be forgiven or accepted.
Related words
Explore related words
Quick practice
Try Excuse
Practice 1
What is an excuse?
Excuses explain actions, but responsibility still matters.
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Practice vocabulary in WordHive
Use the dictionary to understand Excuse, then move into short activities matched to the skills on this page.
Learning paths
- Define the Word Hive for word meanings.
- Synonym Search for word choice.
- Context Clue Challenge for sentence clues.
- Buzz Between for homophones and listening.
- Hive Builder for roots, prefixes, and suffixes.