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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of excuses
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
These things are presented not as potential excuses for the Current’s one-win/two-loss start, but as context around it.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
Chicagoans are not asking for excuses.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
The playoffs are no time for excuses.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 Mar. 2026
Still, Orlando isn’t making any excuses for itself.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
The Constitution’s glitterati, present at the creation, were unanimous in fearing the executive branch would concoct excuses for pointless wars to aggrandize power and crush unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2026
Authorities in nearly a dozen Russian regions in recent weeks cited various excuses to prevent demonstrations against internet censorship and the blocking of the popular messaging app Telegram.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
Department leaders have provided endless excuses but no report.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 21 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
The excuses really don’t matter.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026
These things are presented not as potential excuses for the Current’s one-win/two-loss start, but as context around it.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
Chicagoans are not asking for excuses.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
The playoffs are no time for excuses.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 Mar. 2026
Still, Orlando isn’t making any excuses for itself.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
The Constitution’s glitterati, present at the creation, were unanimous in fearing the executive branch would concoct excuses for pointless wars to aggrandize power and crush unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2026
Authorities in nearly a dozen Russian regions in recent weeks cited various excuses to prevent demonstrations against internet censorship and the blocking of the popular messaging app Telegram.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
Department leaders have provided endless excuses but no report.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 21 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
-
But that argument ignores the structure of the program.—
Demetrius Atsalis,
Boston Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
All pitchers agree that the guy holding the bat generates crucial data that a pitcher ignores at his peril.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 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
-
That distinction naturally explains why Saturn's rings are composed almost entirely of water ice, with very little rock, the study notes.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Fig, meanwhile, has drunk the Kool-Aid entirely, Shipp explains.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In this case, that blend of tradition and artistic interpretation resulted in a final product that stood out—if not entirely for the reasons the bride expected.—
Claire Dodds,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
One of the reasons American troops would be vulnerable on Kharg Island is its close proximity to the Iranian mainland, from which missiles, drones and artillery could be fired.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 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
-
At the multi-level Red Bull Mirage that overlooks the Quasar Stage, Nobu will offer a reservation-only omakase counter.—
Senior Food Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Outside, an infinity pool overlooks the coastline alongside fire features and a professional-grade outdoor kitchen.—
Sandra Barrera,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excuses. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
