Word
alibi
Phoneticsal·i·bi
US/ˈæɫəˌbaɪ/
UK/ˈæləbˌaɪ/
Definitions
01legal proof of location
n. proof that you were in a different place when a crime was committed.
n. a claim or piece of evidence that one was elsewhere when an alleged act, typically a crime, took place.
“The suspect had a perfect alibi because he was at work during the robbery.”
“The defense attorney struggled to establish a credible alibi for the defendant, as no witnesses could confirm his whereabouts at the time of the incident.”
Usage
Often used with the verbs 'have', 'provide', or 'establish'.
Synonyms
02an excuse
n. an excuse you use to avoid being blamed for something.
n. an excuse, especially one intended to avoid responsibility or shift blame for a failure.
“He always has an alibi for why his homework is late.”
“The manager dismissed the employee's latest alibi for the project's delay, noting a consistent pattern of missed deadlines over the previous quarter.”
Informal
Teaching tip
While common in speech, some traditionalists consider using 'alibi' to mean a general 'excuse' to be incorrect or informal.
Synonyms
03to provide an excuse
v. to give someone an excuse or to say you were with them to protect them.
v. to provide an alibi or a justifying excuse for someone else.
“His brother agreed to alibi him if the police asked any questions.”
“The witness was eventually caught in a lie after attempting to alibi her associate during the initial police interrogation.”
Informal
Usage
This verb is transitive and requires a direct object.
Etymology
From the 18th century, from Latin alibī (“elsewhere, at another place”, adverb). Probably after French alibi, which has this use since the late 14th century.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/alibi