What does "excuse" mean?

1. (a reason or explanation) a reason you give to explain why you did something wrong or why you could not do something. 2. (legal defense) a reason in law why someone should not be punished, even if they did the act. 3. (poor example) a very bad or poor example of something. 4. (to forgive) to forgive someone for a small mistake or for being rude. 5. (to allow to leave) to give someone permission to leave a room or a duty.

How do you use "excuse"?

Often used in the imperative 'Excuse me' as a polite formula.

Is it correct to say "He made an excuse of being late."?

No — say "He made an excuse for being late.". Use the preposition 'for' to link the excuse to the action it explains.

excuse

n. · v.

US //ɪkˈskjus// ex·cuse

1 a reason or explanation (n.)
A2 Elementary

a reason you give to explain why you did something wrong or why you could not do something.

an explanation offered to alleviate guilt, justify a fault, or explain a failure to perform a duty.

Example

He made up a clever excuse for why his homework was late.

Example

The employee provided a medical excuse for her week-long absence, though the manager remained skeptical of its authenticity.
Pitfall

He made an excuse of being late.

He made an excuse for being late.

Use the preposition 'for' to link the excuse to the action it explains.
2 legal defense (n.)
C1 Advanced Technical Law

a reason in law why someone should not be punished, even if they did the act.

a legal defense where the defendant admits the actus reus but claims special circumstances negate their moral culpability.

Example

The lawyer argued that the defendant had a valid excuse because he was acting under pressure.

Example

In criminal law, an excuse differs from a justification in that the act is still considered wrong, but the actor is not held personally blameworthy.
- defense
- mitigation

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3 poor example (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

a very bad or poor example of something.

an inferior or substandard example of a particular thing; often used with 'poor' or 'pathetic'.

Example

That old, rusty bike is a poor excuse for a vehicle.

Example

The critics dismissed the film as a pathetic excuse for a thriller, citing its predictable plot and wooden acting.
- mockery
- travesty
4 to forgive (v.)
A2 Elementary

to forgive someone for a small mistake or for being rude.

to pardon or overlook a minor fault or social transgression.

Example

Please excuse my mess; I haven't had time to clean the kitchen today.

Example

The host was kind enough to excuse his guest's late arrival, given the unprecedented traffic delays in the city centre.

Usage

Often used in the imperative 'Excuse me' as a polite formula.
- blame
- condemn
5 to allow to leave (v.)
B1 Intermediate Formal

to give someone permission to leave a room or a duty.

to grant someone permission to depart or to release them from a specific obligation.

Example

The teacher excused the student from class to go to the nurse.

Example

The judge excused the juror from the trial after learning of a potential conflict of interest with the defendant.
- detain
- obligate

Origin

From Middle English excusen (verb) and excuse (noun), borrowed from Old French escuser (verb) and excuse (noun), from Latin excūsō, excūsāre (“to excuse, allege in excuse, literally, free from a charge”), from ex (“out”) + causa (“a charge”); see cause, accuse and recuse. Displaced native Old English lād (“an excuse”) and lādian (“to excuse”).