Definition of alibi in English:

alibi

nounPlural alibis ˈalɪbʌɪˈæləˌbaɪ

1A 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
Example sentencesExamples
- She made a statement to the police, giving Iftikhar a false alibi.
- He gave evidence himself, and called evidence in support of his alibi.
- The prosecution alleges she gave him a false alibi by claiming she was in Soham on the day the girls died, when she was really in Grimsby.
- It also has to be clear that the accused has been told of the evidence against him so that if he has an alibi he can use it.
- Also, could new evidence undermine the original alibi?
- In the circumstances, his evidence as alibi evidence is most unpromising.
- He maintains that he has an alibi for the crucial times surrounding the murder.
- One of the players against whom an allegation was made, an England international, is understood to be claiming he has an alibi.
- What is the evidence that established that, other than the evidence of the alibi, ultimately said to be false?
- He claims an alibi for this morning - counseling sessions.
- The appellant never himself gave evidence to support the alibi.
- Kamara then claimed an alibi, that he was at a school with his sister and the Headmaster.
- And his own Prime Minister Ivan Kostov's initial reaction was that of a criminal with a water-tight alibi: ‘Prove it!’
- Others suggested that Sherman was at fault for trying to present an alibi defense.
- This conclusion is sufficient also to dispose of the complaint about redirection on the date of the alibi witness statements.
- As it became clear that the DNA evidence was likely to be accepted, I wondered what new evidence would damage the alibi.
- As it turned out, the letter was written on the managing editor's computer, but he has an alibi.
- He called alibi evidence as to his earlier movements.
- Prosecutors were found to have withheld evidence showing that the alibi of another suspect who had bragged about committing the murders was bogus.
- Mr Lydon claims he has an alibi to disprove Mr Dunlop's allegations as he was a guest speaker at a conference hosted by the IACT.
1. 1.1informal An excuse or pretext.
  a catch-all alibi for failure and inadequacy
  Example sentencesExamples
  His apology for the production of ignorant students consists of the same bunch of alibis and rationalizations we've been fed by education professors for decades.
  The second alibi, the Mongol invasion, is yet another favourite of their writing.
  There is no need for an alibi to defend the colossal failure.
  Excuses, alibis and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last.
  Until this spring when he told manager Phil Garner, he offered no alibis, accepted the criticism without complaint, and did the best he could with what he had.
  But the Party does not provide him with an alibi for all his failures.
  Note that there were the usual raft of excuses and alibis following the failures.
  That is his alibi and excuse for doing absolutely nothing apart from parking himself into a limousine and taking his pay.
  His party already has its alibis lined up.
  The moment we get into murky decision-making processes, everybody has an alibi.
  One suspects that it has been mainly thought of as a political alibi and an excuse for supervision of the police.
  On the other hand, he has to avoid the danger that the parties push all their difficult problems over to him so that they have an alibi for failure to achieve something.
  We love to make excuses and believe alibis, however unlikely.
  There are no excuses, no alibis and no grounds for recourse.
  Excuses and alibis are manifestations of the disease and are to be expected; however, facts presented by the suspected nurse should be considered.
  Otherwise, doubts would remain that such steps were aimed at providing an alibi for a possible failure of the bid, he said.
  The problem is the advocates can't talk to the defendants, and have no way of finding out if they have alibis or innocent explanations for apparently suspicious behavior.
  His alibi was his ever-devoted mother who backed up his story.
  These guys will fall silent, then we'll be bombarded with a slew of alibis and lame excuses for their failure.
  Yet the unionists still cannot come to the party, and with mind-numbing dumbness some parts of the media and the political establishment seek to provide them with alibis for their abject failure.
  Synonyms
  defence, defending evidence, plea
  justification, explanation, reason, vindication
  excuse, pretext
  informal story, line

verbalibis, alibied, alibiing ˈalɪbʌɪˈæləˌbaɪ

[with object]informal

Provide an alibi for.
her friend agreed to alibi her
Example sentencesExamples
- On the 24th, the day that I was to have supposedly murdered Mrs. Stotler, the prosecutors themselves have alibied me, by collecting testimony.
- Ashamed, he tried to cover the incidents up, even ordering his representatives to publicly alibi his wife's violence.
- Roz gets her beloved son alibied by some nice simple, incontrovertible (well, provable) facts.
- Another topic of discussion has developed concerning the man who alibied the husband.
- These sons have been alibied, to our knowledge.
Synonyms
cover for, give an alibi to, provide with an alibi, shield, protect

Usage

The word alibi, which in Latin means ‘elsewhere’, has been used since the 18th century to mean ‘an assertion by a person that he or she was elsewhere’. In the 20th century a new sense arose (originally in the US) with the meaning ‘an excuse’. This use is a fairly common and natural extension of the core meaning, but is still regarded as incorrect by some traditionalists

Origin

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

Alibi is recorded from the late 17th century, as an adverb in the sense ‘elsewhere’, and was originally a Latin word with the same meaning and spelling. A typical example of its use comes from John Arbuthnot's History of John Bull (1727): ‘The prisoner had little to say in his defence; he endeavoured to prove himself Alibi.’ The noun use, ‘a piece of evidence that a person was somewhere else when a crime was committed’, dates from the 18th century. The weakened sense of ‘excuse’ is early 20th century.

Definition of alibi in US English:

alibi

nounˈæləˌbaɪˈaləˌbī

1A 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
Example sentencesExamples
- The appellant never himself gave evidence to support the alibi.
- The prosecution alleges she gave him a false alibi by claiming she was in Soham on the day the girls died, when she was really in Grimsby.
- He maintains that he has an alibi for the crucial times surrounding the murder.
- Prosecutors were found to have withheld evidence showing that the alibi of another suspect who had bragged about committing the murders was bogus.
- Kamara then claimed an alibi, that he was at a school with his sister and the Headmaster.
- Mr Lydon claims he has an alibi to disprove Mr Dunlop's allegations as he was a guest speaker at a conference hosted by the IACT.
- In the circumstances, his evidence as alibi evidence is most unpromising.
- This conclusion is sufficient also to dispose of the complaint about redirection on the date of the alibi witness statements.
- He called alibi evidence as to his earlier movements.
- One of the players against whom an allegation was made, an England international, is understood to be claiming he has an alibi.
- As it turned out, the letter was written on the managing editor's computer, but he has an alibi.
- What is the evidence that established that, other than the evidence of the alibi, ultimately said to be false?
- Others suggested that Sherman was at fault for trying to present an alibi defense.
- It also has to be clear that the accused has been told of the evidence against him so that if he has an alibi he can use it.
- She made a statement to the police, giving Iftikhar a false alibi.
- He gave evidence himself, and called evidence in support of his alibi.
- He claims an alibi for this morning - counseling sessions.
- And his own Prime Minister Ivan Kostov's initial reaction was that of a criminal with a water-tight alibi: ‘Prove it!’
- As it became clear that the DNA evidence was likely to be accepted, I wondered what new evidence would damage the alibi.
- Also, could new evidence undermine the original alibi?
1. 1.1informal An excuse or pretext.
  a catch-all alibi for failure and inadequacy
  Example sentencesExamples
  Note that there were the usual raft of excuses and alibis following the failures.
  But the Party does not provide him with an alibi for all his failures.
  Excuses, alibis and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last.
  There are no excuses, no alibis and no grounds for recourse.
  His apology for the production of ignorant students consists of the same bunch of alibis and rationalizations we've been fed by education professors for decades.
  Otherwise, doubts would remain that such steps were aimed at providing an alibi for a possible failure of the bid, he said.
  His alibi was his ever-devoted mother who backed up his story.
  One suspects that it has been mainly thought of as a political alibi and an excuse for supervision of the police.
  On the other hand, he has to avoid the danger that the parties push all their difficult problems over to him so that they have an alibi for failure to achieve something.
  These guys will fall silent, then we'll be bombarded with a slew of alibis and lame excuses for their failure.
  We love to make excuses and believe alibis, however unlikely.
  Yet the unionists still cannot come to the party, and with mind-numbing dumbness some parts of the media and the political establishment seek to provide them with alibis for their abject failure.
  His party already has its alibis lined up.
  That is his alibi and excuse for doing absolutely nothing apart from parking himself into a limousine and taking his pay.
  Excuses and alibis are manifestations of the disease and are to be expected; however, facts presented by the suspected nurse should be considered.
  The second alibi, the Mongol invasion, is yet another favourite of their writing.
  There is no need for an alibi to defend the colossal failure.
  Until this spring when he told manager Phil Garner, he offered no alibis, accepted the criticism without complaint, and did the best he could with what he had.
  The problem is the advocates can't talk to the defendants, and have no way of finding out if they have alibis or innocent explanations for apparently suspicious behavior.
  The moment we get into murky decision-making processes, everybody has an alibi.
  Synonyms
  defence, defending evidence, plea

verbˈæləˌbaɪˈaləˌbī

[with object]informal

1Offer 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
Example sentencesExamples
- These sons have been alibied, to our knowledge.
- On the 24th, the day that I was to have supposedly murdered Mrs. Stotler, the prosecutors themselves have alibied me, by collecting testimony.
- Roz gets her beloved son alibied by some nice simple, incontrovertible (well, provable) facts.
- Another topic of discussion has developed concerning the man who alibied the husband.
- Ashamed, he tried to cover the incidents up, even ordering his representatives to publicly alibi his wife's violence.
Synonyms
cover for, give an alibi to, provide with an alibi, shield, protect
1. 1.1no object Make excuses.
  not once do I recall him whining or alibiing
  Example sentencesExamples
  His question meant to give the minister a chance to alibi why the administration had absolutely no response to the bombing.
  He has never complained, never blamed, never alibied, never lashed out at his critics, never lost his cool, never bemoaned his rotten luck.
  You have got two sons that have alibied.
  He refused to alibi, saying he had simply not done a good job holding onto the football.
  The University has never alibied that their "conference schedule" is more important.
  She squirmed and alibied, then finally stated that she could ‘not commit the channel to that kind of use of their staff time and resources’ and advised him to contact the station general manager.
  He has been a man about it, he hasn't alibied and he has been willing to accept his responsibilities.

Usage

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

Origin

Late 17th century (as an adverb in the sense ‘elsewhere’): from Latin, ‘elsewhere’. The noun use dates from the late 18th century.

单词	alibi
释义	Definition of alibi in English: alibi nounPlural alibis ˈalɪbʌɪˈæləˌbaɪ 1A 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 Example sentencesExamples She made a statement to the police, giving Iftikhar a false alibi. He gave evidence himself, and called evidence in support of his alibi. The prosecution alleges she gave him a false alibi by claiming she was in Soham on the day the girls died, when she was really in Grimsby. It also has to be clear that the accused has been told of the evidence against him so that if he has an alibi he can use it. Also, could new evidence undermine the original alibi? In the circumstances, his evidence as alibi evidence is most unpromising. He maintains that he has an alibi for the crucial times surrounding the murder. One of the players against whom an allegation was made, an England international, is understood to be claiming he has an alibi. What is the evidence that established that, other than the evidence of the alibi, ultimately said to be false? He claims an alibi for this morning - counseling sessions. The appellant never himself gave evidence to support the alibi. Kamara then claimed an alibi, that he was at a school with his sister and the Headmaster. And his own Prime Minister Ivan Kostov's initial reaction was that of a criminal with a water-tight alibi: ‘Prove it!’ Others suggested that Sherman was at fault for trying to present an alibi defense. This conclusion is sufficient also to dispose of the complaint about redirection on the date of the alibi witness statements. As it became clear that the DNA evidence was likely to be accepted, I wondered what new evidence would damage the alibi. As it turned out, the letter was written on the managing editor's computer, but he has an alibi. He called alibi evidence as to his earlier movements. Prosecutors were found to have withheld evidence showing that the alibi of another suspect who had bragged about committing the murders was bogus. Mr Lydon claims he has an alibi to disprove Mr Dunlop's allegations as he was a guest speaker at a conference hosted by the IACT. 1.1informal An excuse or pretext. a catch-all alibi for failure and inadequacy Example sentencesExamples His apology for the production of ignorant students consists of the same bunch of alibis and rationalizations we've been fed by education professors for decades. The second alibi, the Mongol invasion, is yet another favourite of their writing. There is no need for an alibi to defend the colossal failure. Excuses, alibis and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. Until this spring when he told manager Phil Garner, he offered no alibis, accepted the criticism without complaint, and did the best he could with what he had. But the Party does not provide him with an alibi for all his failures. Note that there were the usual raft of excuses and alibis following the failures. That is his alibi and excuse for doing absolutely nothing apart from parking himself into a limousine and taking his pay. His party already has its alibis lined up. The moment we get into murky decision-making processes, everybody has an alibi. One suspects that it has been mainly thought of as a political alibi and an excuse for supervision of the police. On the other hand, he has to avoid the danger that the parties push all their difficult problems over to him so that they have an alibi for failure to achieve something. We love to make excuses and believe alibis, however unlikely. There are no excuses, no alibis and no grounds for recourse. Excuses and alibis are manifestations of the disease and are to be expected; however, facts presented by the suspected nurse should be considered. Otherwise, doubts would remain that such steps were aimed at providing an alibi for a possible failure of the bid, he said. The problem is the advocates can't talk to the defendants, and have no way of finding out if they have alibis or innocent explanations for apparently suspicious behavior. His alibi was his ever-devoted mother who backed up his story. These guys will fall silent, then we'll be bombarded with a slew of alibis and lame excuses for their failure. Yet the unionists still cannot come to the party, and with mind-numbing dumbness some parts of the media and the political establishment seek to provide them with alibis for their abject failure. Synonyms defence, defending evidence, plea justification, explanation, reason, vindication excuse, pretext informal story, line verbalibis, alibied, alibiing ˈalɪbʌɪˈæləˌbaɪ [with object]informal Provide an alibi for. her friend agreed to alibi her Example sentencesExamples On the 24th, the day that I was to have supposedly murdered Mrs. Stotler, the prosecutors themselves have alibied me, by collecting testimony. Ashamed, he tried to cover the incidents up, even ordering his representatives to publicly alibi his wife's violence. Roz gets her beloved son alibied by some nice simple, incontrovertible (well, provable) facts. Another topic of discussion has developed concerning the man who alibied the husband. These sons have been alibied, to our knowledge. Synonyms cover for, give an alibi to, provide with an alibi, shield, protect Usage The word alibi, which in Latin means ‘elsewhere’, has been used since the 18th century to mean ‘an assertion by a person that he or she was elsewhere’. In the 20th century a new sense arose (originally in the US) with the meaning ‘an excuse’. This use is a fairly common and natural extension of the core meaning, but is still regarded as incorrect by some traditionalists Origin Late 17th century (as an adverb in the sense 'elsewhere'): from Latin, 'elsewhere'. The noun use dates from the late 18th century. Alibi is recorded from the late 17th century, as an adverb in the sense ‘elsewhere’, and was originally a Latin word with the same meaning and spelling. A typical example of its use comes from John Arbuthnot's History of John Bull (1727): ‘The prisoner had little to say in his defence; he endeavoured to prove himself Alibi.’ The noun use, ‘a piece of evidence that a person was somewhere else when a crime was committed’, dates from the 18th century. The weakened sense of ‘excuse’ is early 20th century. Definition of alibi in US English: alibi nounˈæləˌbaɪˈaləˌbī 1A 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 Example sentencesExamples The appellant never himself gave evidence to support the alibi. The prosecution alleges she gave him a false alibi by claiming she was in Soham on the day the girls died, when she was really in Grimsby. He maintains that he has an alibi for the crucial times surrounding the murder. Prosecutors were found to have withheld evidence showing that the alibi of another suspect who had bragged about committing the murders was bogus. Kamara then claimed an alibi, that he was at a school with his sister and the Headmaster. Mr Lydon claims he has an alibi to disprove Mr Dunlop's allegations as he was a guest speaker at a conference hosted by the IACT. In the circumstances, his evidence as alibi evidence is most unpromising. This conclusion is sufficient also to dispose of the complaint about redirection on the date of the alibi witness statements. He called alibi evidence as to his earlier movements. One of the players against whom an allegation was made, an England international, is understood to be claiming he has an alibi. As it turned out, the letter was written on the managing editor's computer, but he has an alibi. What is the evidence that established that, other than the evidence of the alibi, ultimately said to be false? Others suggested that Sherman was at fault for trying to present an alibi defense. It also has to be clear that the accused has been told of the evidence against him so that if he has an alibi he can use it. She made a statement to the police, giving Iftikhar a false alibi. He gave evidence himself, and called evidence in support of his alibi. He claims an alibi for this morning - counseling sessions. And his own Prime Minister Ivan Kostov's initial reaction was that of a criminal with a water-tight alibi: ‘Prove it!’ As it became clear that the DNA evidence was likely to be accepted, I wondered what new evidence would damage the alibi. Also, could new evidence undermine the original alibi? 1.1informal An excuse or pretext. a catch-all alibi for failure and inadequacy Example sentencesExamples Note that there were the usual raft of excuses and alibis following the failures. But the Party does not provide him with an alibi for all his failures. Excuses, alibis and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. There are no excuses, no alibis and no grounds for recourse. His apology for the production of ignorant students consists of the same bunch of alibis and rationalizations we've been fed by education professors for decades. Otherwise, doubts would remain that such steps were aimed at providing an alibi for a possible failure of the bid, he said. His alibi was his ever-devoted mother who backed up his story. One suspects that it has been mainly thought of as a political alibi and an excuse for supervision of the police. On the other hand, he has to avoid the danger that the parties push all their difficult problems over to him so that they have an alibi for failure to achieve something. These guys will fall silent, then we'll be bombarded with a slew of alibis and lame excuses for their failure. We love to make excuses and believe alibis, however unlikely. Yet the unionists still cannot come to the party, and with mind-numbing dumbness some parts of the media and the political establishment seek to provide them with alibis for their abject failure. His party already has its alibis lined up. That is his alibi and excuse for doing absolutely nothing apart from parking himself into a limousine and taking his pay. Excuses and alibis are manifestations of the disease and are to be expected; however, facts presented by the suspected nurse should be considered. The second alibi, the Mongol invasion, is yet another favourite of their writing. There is no need for an alibi to defend the colossal failure. Until this spring when he told manager Phil Garner, he offered no alibis, accepted the criticism without complaint, and did the best he could with what he had. The problem is the advocates can't talk to the defendants, and have no way of finding out if they have alibis or innocent explanations for apparently suspicious behavior. The moment we get into murky decision-making processes, everybody has an alibi. Synonyms defence, defending evidence, plea verbˈæləˌbaɪˈaləˌbī [with object]informal 1Offer 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 Example sentencesExamples These sons have been alibied, to our knowledge. On the 24th, the day that I was to have supposedly murdered Mrs. Stotler, the prosecutors themselves have alibied me, by collecting testimony. Roz gets her beloved son alibied by some nice simple, incontrovertible (well, provable) facts. Another topic of discussion has developed concerning the man who alibied the husband. Ashamed, he tried to cover the incidents up, even ordering his representatives to publicly alibi his wife's violence. Synonyms cover for, give an alibi to, provide with an alibi, shield, protect 1.1no object Make excuses. not once do I recall him whining or alibiing Example sentencesExamples His question meant to give the minister a chance to alibi why the administration had absolutely no response to the bombing. He has never complained, never blamed, never alibied, never lashed out at his critics, never lost his cool, never bemoaned his rotten luck. You have got two sons that have alibied. He refused to alibi, saying he had simply not done a good job holding onto the football. The University has never alibied that their "conference schedule" is more important. She squirmed and alibied, then finally stated that she could ‘not commit the channel to that kind of use of their staff time and resources’ and advised him to contact the station general manager. He has been a man about it, he hasn't alibied and he has been willing to accept his responsibilities. Usage 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 Origin Late 17th century (as an adverb in the sense ‘elsewhere’): from Latin, ‘elsewhere’. The noun use dates from the late 18th century.
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