alibi
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A claim or proof that one was elsewhere when a bad act happened.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
aluhbySay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈæləbaɪ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
law
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.
sometimes proscribed
An excuse, especially one used to avoid responsibility or blame.
verb
transitive
To provide an excuse for.
Exonerate by means of an alibi
transitive
To provide an alibi for.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: 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.
Used this way, alibi is a specialist word with a faintly unfavourable edge. This is a legal use: the wording is institutional and carries a defined meaning in law rather than a loose everyday one.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Clinical and detached
Where it naturally appears
- Law/legal
- Government/politics
- Academic writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- excuse , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
And elsewhere (used when referring to other occurrences in a text).
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.