excuse

a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable"

a note explaining an absence; "he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him"

a poor example; "it was an apology for a meal"; "a poor excuse for an automobile"

accept an excuse for; "Please excuse my dirty hands"

grant exemption or release to; "Please excuse me from this class"

serve as a reason or cause or justification of; "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"

defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success"

ask for permission to be released from an engagement

excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities"