alibi
n. countablen. proof that you were in a different place when a crime happened. If you have an alibi, it means you could not have done the crime because you were somewhere else.
n. evidence or a formal statement that an individual was elsewhere at the time a specific act, typically a crime, took place. Often used to establish innocence by demonstrating the physical impossibility of the suspect's presence at the scene.
The suspect has a strong alibi for the night of the robbery.
The detective spent the afternoon interviewing witnesses to verify the suspect's alibi and confirm his location during the incident.
While the defendant's alibi seemed airtight initially, the prosecution introduced digital evidence suggesting that his mobile phone had been used miles away from his claimed location.
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.
Commonly used with the verbs 'have', 'provide', or 'establish'.