Dictionary › A › alibi
alibi
3 syllablesYour browser doesn’t have built-in voices. Try Chrome, Edge or Safari.
As a noun, alibi means the plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed. As a verb, it means provide an alibi for.
Meanings of alibi
7 meaningsnoun
legalThe plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed.
“to set up an alibi”
“to prove an alibi”
sometimes proscribedAn excuse, especially one used to avoid responsibility or blame.
(law) a defense by an accused person purporting to show that they could not have committed the crime in question
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”
Similar: excuse, exculpation, self-justification
verb
To provide an alibi for.
To provide an excuse for.
Exonerate by means of an alibi
Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).