How to Use excuse in a Sentence

excuse

1 of 2 verb
  • The teacher excused the class from homework that day.
  • His boss excused the mistake but told him to be more careful next time.
  • Nothing can excuse that kind of rudeness.
  • Please excuse me for not calling sooner.
  • I was excused from jury duty.
  • Her father's illness excused her absence.
  • Each norm break is excused as style.
    — Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Good goals do not excuse dodgy deeds.
    — Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2025
  • But that doesn’t excuse this trade.
    — Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Fans could be excused if the finish felt like déjà vu.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
  • And sometimes a kitchen knife, excuse the pun, just won't cut it.
    — Janae McKenzie, House Beautiful, 26 July 2023
  • Joe can be tough like a motherf***er, excuse my language.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2026
  • That does not excuse what happened.
    — CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
  • None of that excuses the crimes.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
  • But that doesn’t excuse the people on the other end.
    — Alex Crippen, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026
  • One should never be used to excuse the other.
    — Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026
  • But that doesn’t excuse us from having to know what happened in those cities.
    — Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Field excused herself to go to the restroom.
    — George Packer, The Atlantic, 24 Nov. 2025
  • Four years ago, a voter could be excused for voting for Biden.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 27 Jan. 2024
  • At a certain point the friend excused himself to prep some pizza.
    — Sunshine Flint, wsj.com, 26 Sep. 2023
  • Akin was excused from the stand after the court returned to session.
    — Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
  • But there’s no excusing Josh Allen’s four turnovers.
    — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
  • This doesn’t excuse his absence or his treatment of my mother.
    — Matthew Alemu, The Conversation, 15 June 2026
  • Well, the image, excuse me, is part of what led to this indictment.
    — NBC news, 3 May 2026
  • If students were not in class, they would be marked absent but would be excused if a parent called them out.
    — Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
  • It could also be used to excuse stagnating wages as the cost of living soars.
    — Joe Wilkins Published Jan 22, Futurism, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Better to look concerned and antsy, excuse yourself, and dash.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
  • This was not to excuse bad behavior, but to figure out how workers got there.
    — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Now, please excuse us while go through our calendars to schedule our next visit!
    — Chaise Sanders, Country Living, 19 Sep. 2022
  • Howard allowed the defendant to be excused from the hearing when the video was played.
    — Cameron MacDonald, Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2025

excuse

2 of 2 noun
  • I made my excuses and left.
  • His birthday gives us a good excuse for a party.
  • What's your excuse for being so late?
  • She had no valid excuse for not finishing her homework.
  • He's always making excuses for himself.
  • The first would be to make an excuse.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • And none of that gets to be an excuse.
    — Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
  • So that very much seems to be an excuse.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Mar. 2026
  • That’s no excuse for the rest of us.
    — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2026
  • That last excuse had been erased.
    — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
  • It’s been my excuse to have fun again.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
  • There is no excuse, there is no words.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Need an excuse to dress up and feel springy?
    — Laura Ness, Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2026
  • But there’s no excuse for that.
    — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
  • There’s no excuse to not win now.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
  • They were warned — there is no excuse.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Kim wasn’t about to use that as an excuse.
    — Zak Keefer, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Now, there’s no excuse not to know.
    — Allen Best, Denver Post, 14 June 2026
  • In truth, that should not be an excuse.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
  • But again, that's not an excuse.
    — Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
  • But again, that’s not an excuse.
    — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The rain was gone, and so was her last excuse.
    — Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Then again, life isn’t an excuse.
    — Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
  • But no more excuses—for me or for you.
    — Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2025
  • But that is no excuse for not trying.
    — Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Do not make excuses or lie about your health.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
  • What could be a better excuse to show up late?
    — Loren Savini, Allure, 10 Mar. 2026
  • At the end of the day, no excuses.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 18 Mar. 2026
  • There were no excuses that could ease the pain.
    — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • But that's not an excuse for a lack of toughness.
    — Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'excuse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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