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

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

an attempt to free oneself from blame by deflecting attention and responsibility onto someone or something else

a state of affairs that can shield a person from blameworthiness for doing something for which blameworthiness is the default state

1. A made-up reason for doing or saying something. Sometimes for not doing or saying something. 2. An alcoholic will make up an excuse for his or her behavior, so that someone else is to blame. The responsibility is "not mine"! 3. A pretext we use to explain our actions, or lack of action. It is common that this reason target someone or something other than us.