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Definition excuse in British English

excuse noun

[countable] noun
/ɪkˈskjuːs/
1

a reason that you give to explain why you have done something bad, or why you have not done something that you should have done

Example

a reasonable/valid/legitimate excuse

Example

What excuse did they give for the delay?

Example

Joe was late, but as always he had an excuse.

Example

He made some excuse about having a lot of work to do.

Synonyms and related words
2

a reason for doing something that you want to do

Example

Birthdays are always a good excuse for a party.

Example

Emily was glad of an excuse to change the subject.

Synonyms and related words
Definition excuse in British English