Meaning & use

alibi

noun·Academic

A claim or piece of evidence that a person was somewhere else when a crime took place.

See it in a sentence

His alibi was confirmed by security footage showing him at the gym that night.

The suspect could not provide a solid alibi for the time of the robbery.

A note on using this word

In everyday speech, alibi is sometimes used loosely for any excuse, though its precise sense refers to proof of location during a crime.

Words with a similar meaning

excuse

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “alibi”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.