excused


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ex·cuse

(ĭk-skyo͞oz′)
tr.v. ex·cused, ex·cus·ing, ex·cus·es
1.
a. To make allowance for; overlook or forgive: Please excuse the interruption.
b. To grant pardon to; forgive: We quickly excused the latecomer.
2.
a. To apologize for (oneself) for an act that could cause offense: She excused herself for being late.
b. To explain (a fault or offense) in the hope of being forgiven or understood; try to justify: He arrived late and excused his tardiness by blaming it on the traffic. See Synonyms at forgive.
3. To serve as justification for: Witty talk does not excuse bad manners.
4. To free, as from an obligation or duty; exempt: She was excused from jury duty because she knew the plaintiff.
5. To give permission to leave; release: The child ate quickly and asked to be excused.
n. (ĭk-skyo͞os′)
1. An explanation offered to justify or obtain forgiveness.
2. A reason or grounds for excusing: Ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.
3. The act of excusing.
4. A note explaining an absence.
5. Informal An inferior example: a poor excuse for a poet; a sorry excuse for a car.
Idiom:
Excuse me
1. Used to acknowledge and ask forgiveness for an action that could cause offense.
2. Used to request that a statement be repeated.

[Middle English excusen, ultimately (partly via Old French excuser) from Latin excūsāre : ex-, ex- + causa, lawsuit; see cause.]

ex·cus′a·ble adj.
ex·cus′a·ble·ness n.
ex·cus′a·bly adv.
ex·cus′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.excused - granted exemption; "one of the excused jurors planned to write a book"
exempt - (of persons) freed from or not subject to an obligation or liability (as e.g. taxes) to which others or other things are subject; "a beauty somehow exempt from the aging process"; "exempt from jury duty"; "only the very poorest citizens should be exempt from income taxes"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in classic literature ?
"I am from Gascony, it is true; and since you know it, there is no occasion to tell you that Gascons are not very patient, so that when they have begged to be excused once, were it even for a folly, they are convinced that they have done already at least as much again as they ought to have done."
Tom begged to be excused, for that he had particular business; and getting up from table, escaped the clutches of the squire, who was rising to stop him, and went off with very little ceremony.
When the squire had finished his half-hour's nap, he summoned his daughter to her harpsichord; but she begged to be excused that evening, on account of a violent head-ache.
She therefore not only desired to be excused from her attendance at the harpsichord, but likewise begged that he would suffer her to absent herself from supper.
Justice Musa Kurya of Jos Federal High Court, on Friday, excused himself from a certificate forgery suit against a Plateau lawmaker, Hon.
It is to be mentioned that the family counsel of former PM Khawaja Haris has excused himself from NAB references against Nawaz Sharif and his family and filed application before accountability court for withdrawing his power of attorney.
During the hearing, Nawaz and Maryam appeared before the court but their counsel Khawaja Haris said his client (Nawaz) was unwell and requested he be excused. On hearing this, the court excused Nawaz from appearing before the court.
Justin says: Unless someone is disqualified, has the right to be excused or has a valid reason for discretionary excusal, then they must attend for jury service.
Department of Education offered this regarding changes to IEP Team member attendance: "allowing IEP Team members to be excused from attending an IEP Team meeting is intended to provide additional flexibility to parents in scheduling IEP Team meetings and avoid delays in holding an IEP Team meeting when an IEP Team member cannot attend due to a scheduling conflict."
Federal civil service employees who are called to active duty as part of the continuing Global War on Terrorism are entitled to five days of excused absence from their civilian duties upon their return.
For example, New York courts have not excused performance where blizzards, the inability to obtain federal funding or the closing of a business due to substantial financial losses have prevented parties from fulfilling their contractual obligations.