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alibi

Syllabification: (al·i·bi)

Pronunciation: /ˈaləˌbī/

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Definition of alibi

noun (plural alibis)

a claim or piece of evidence that one was elsewhere when an act, typically a criminal one, is alleged to have taken place:she has an alibi for the whole of yesterday evening a defense of alibi
informal an excuse or pretext:a catch-all alibi for failure and inadequacy

verb (alibis, alibied, alibiing)

[with object] informal

offer an excuse or defense for (someone), especially by providing an account of their whereabouts at the time of an alleged act:her friend agreed to alibi her
[no object] make excuses:not once do I recall him whining or alibiing

Origin:

late 17th century (as an adverb in the sense 'elsewhere'): from Latin, 'in another place; elsewhere'. The noun use dates from the late 18th century

The weakened nonlegal use of alibi to mean simply ‘an excuse’ is a fairly common and natural extension of the core meaning. It is acceptable in standard English, although regarded as incorrect by some traditionalists.

alibi in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of alibi in the British & World English dictionary

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