/al"euh buy'/ , n. , pl. alibis , v.
n.
1. Law. the defense by an accused person of having been elsewhere at the time an alleged offense was committed.
2. an excuse, esp. to avoid blame.
3. a person used as one's excuse: My sick grandmother was my alibi for missing school.
v.i.
4. Informal. to give an excuse; offer a defense: to alibi for being late.
v.t.
5. Informal.
a. to provide an alibi for (someone): He alibied his friend out of a fix.
b. to make or find (one's way) by using alibis: to alibi one's way out of work.
[ 1720-30; alibi (adv.): in or at another place ]
Syn. 2. explanation, reason, justification.
Usage . ALIBI in Latin is an adverb meaning "in or at another place." Its earliest English uses, in the 18th century, are in legal contexts, both as an adverb and as a noun meaning "a plea of having been elsewhere." The extended noun senses "excuse" and "person used as one's excuse" developed in the 20th century in the United States and occur in all but the most formal writing. As a verb ALIBI occurs mainly in informal use.