(~d)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
An ~ is a reason which you give in order to explain why something has been done or has not been done, or in order to avoid doing something.
It is easy to find ~s for his indecisiveness...
Once I had had a baby I had the perfect ~ to stay at home...
If you stop making ~s and do it you’ll wonder what took you so long.
= justification
N-COUNT: oft N for n/-ing, N to-inf
•
If you say that there is no ~ for something, you are emphasizing that it should not happen, or expressing disapproval that it has happened.
There’s no ~ for behaviour like that...
Solitude was no ~ for sloppiness.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR for n/-ing disapproval
2.
To ~ someone or ~ their behaviour means to provide reasons for their actions, especially when other people disapprove of these actions.
He ~d himself by saying he was ‘forced to rob to maintain my wife and cat’...
That doesn’t ~ my mother’s behaviour.
= justify
VERB: V n by -ing, V n
3.
If you ~ someone for something wrong that they have done, you forgive them for it.
Many people might have ~d them for shirking some of their responsibilities.
= forgive
VERB: V n for n/-ing, also V n, V n n
4.
If someone is ~d from a duty or responsibility, they are told that they do not have to carry it out.
She is usually ~d from her duties during the school holidays...
She was ~d duties on Saturday.
VERB: usu passive, be V-ed from n/-ing, be V-ed n
5.
If you ~ yourself, you use a phrase such as ‘Excuse me’ as a polite way of saying that you are about to leave.
He ~d himself and went up to his room.
VERB: V pron-refl
6.
You say ‘Excuse me’ when you want to politely get someone’s attention, especially when you are about to ask them a question.
Excuse me, but are you Mr Honig?
CONVENTION formulae
7.
You use ~ me to apologize to someone when you have disturbed or interrupted them.
Excuse me interrupting, but there’s a thing I feel I’ve got to say.
CONVENTION formulae
8.
You use ~ me or a phrase such as if you’ll ~ me as a polite way of indicating that you are about to leave or that you are about to stop talking to someone.
‘Excuse me,’ she said to Jarvis, and left the room...
Now if you’ll ~ me, I’ve got work to do.
CONVENTION politeness
9.
You use ~ me, but to indicate that you are about to disagree with someone. (mainly BRIT)
Excuse me, but I want to know what all this has to do with us.
CONVENTION
10.
You say ~ me to apologize when you have bumped into someone, or when you need to move past someone in a crowd.
= sorry
PHRASE formulae
11.
You say ~ me to apologize when you have done something slightly embarrassing or impolite, such as burping, hiccupping, or sneezing.
CONVENTION formulae
12.
You say ‘Excuse me?’ to show that you want someone to repeat what they have just said. (AM; in BRIT, usually use pardon , sorry )
CONVENTION formulae