Collocation
make an excuse
Definition
to invent or give a reason (often not true) to avoid doing something or to explain a mistake
'make an excuse' is a common English collocation. to invent or give a reason (often not true) to avoid doing something or to explain a mistake
make + an excuse
“He made an excuse and left the meeting early.”
Examples
- I don’t want to go, so I’ll _____ an excuse.
- He _____ an excuse about feeling sick and went home.
- Stop trying to _____ an excuse—just tell the truth.
Show more examples
- She had to _____ an excuse for being late to class.
- If you can’t finish the work, don’t _____ an excuse; ask for help.
- They _____ an excuse to avoid answering the question directly.
- I wish I hadn’t _____ an excuse—I should’ve apologized instead.
- He’s always _____ an excuse for missing deadlines.
- We couldn’t _____ an excuse that sounded believable this time.
More verb + determiner + nouns
- make a decision to choose what to do after thinking about different options
- make a mistake to do something wrong or incorrectly
- make a mess to create a dirty, untidy, or disorganized situation; to spill, scatter, or cause disorder
- do a job to perform a task or piece of work; to complete work that needs to be done
- do a task to complete a piece of work or an assigned job