excuse me

idiom

1

—used as a polite way of starting to say something

Excuse me, but do you mind if I shut the window?

2

—used as a polite way of starting to interrupt someone

Excuse me, but may I say something?

3

—used as a polite way of trying to get someone's attention

Excuse me, do you know where I can find Maple Street?

4

—used as a polite way of starting to say one disagrees with someone

Excuse me, but I don't think those figures are entirely accurate.

5

—used as a polite apology for a minor fault or offense, such as laughing, coughing, or burping

6

US

—used as a polite apology for getting in someone's way or bumping into someone

Oh, excuse me. I didn't notice you standing there.

7

chiefly US

—used as a polite way of asking someone to repeat something

Excuse me? I didn't hear the last part of what you were saying.

8

informal

—often used in an annoyed way when someone has suggested that a person has done something wrong and the person does not agree

"You were supposed to be home an hour ago." "Well, excuse me! I had to fix a flat tire."

Examples of excuse me in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sad about the deaths in Atlanta but, excuse me, what were those protesters doing in front of our tanks? —Mark Green, New York Daily News, 25 May 2024

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ (excuse me, Red Hots’) bassist Flea going on a beautifully freewheeling ode to Denny’s as a great communal unifier. —Vulture Staff, Vulture, 13 May 2024

That’s huge money for a Quickfire — excuse me, for the Ultimate Quickfire Challenge, nonsense words that Kristen says because everything on this show now must be the first and the biggest and the best! —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 May 2024

Well, Margaret, there's no doubt that – excuse me – the United – the United States has not been perfect, far from perfect. —CBS News, 12 May 2024

The campaign – excuse me – the White House is focused on doing more of that, sending him out to some of the key battlegrounds. —Nbc Universal, NBC News, 11 Feb. 2024

But navigating language barriers in Turkey wasn’t quite as simple as figuring out how to order a glass of cava in Madrid or saying ‘excuse me’ while getting on a crowded metro car in Rome. —Kaitlyn McInnis, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Jan. 2024

Oh, excuse me, their preferred appellation is Claremont Village. —Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024

To be doing this where there really is so much camaraderie with women is so — excuse me, Jon — [cool]. —Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2023