a deliberate act of omission; "with the exception of the children, everyone was told the news"
an instance that does not conform to a rule or generalization; "all her children were brilliant; the only exception was her last child"; "an exception tests the rule"
grounds for adverse criticism; "his authority is beyond exception"
a person who owes allegiance to that nation; "a monarch has a duty to his subjects"
concerned with or applicable to or belonging to an entire nation or country; "the national government"; "national elections"; "of national concern"; "the national highway system"; "national forests"
limited to or in the interests of a particular nation; "national interests"; "isolationism is a strictly national policy"
owned or maintained for the public by the national government; "national parks"
of or relating to or belonging to a nation or country; "national hero"; "national anthem"; "a national landmark"
of or relating to nationality; "national origin"
characteristic of or peculiar to the people of a nation; "a national trait"
a note explaining an absence; "he had to get his mother to write an excuse for him"
a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable"
excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior"; "She condoned her husband's occasional infidelities"
serve as a reason or cause or justification of; "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"
grant exemption or release to; "Please excuse me from this class"
ask for permission to be released from an engagement
accept an excuse for; "Please excuse my dirty hands"
a right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right); "suffrage was the prerogative of white adult males"
a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws; "common law originated in the unwritten laws of England and was later applied in the United States"
(Greek mythology) a beautiful princess loved by Cupid who visited her at night and told her she must not try to see him; became the personification of the soul