Excuse Someone For Doing vs. Excuse Someone To Do
Cambridge records “excuse someone for something/doing something” in the forgive sense, supporting for + -ing when naming the conduct being excused.
Use “excuse someone for doing something” when you mean forgive or pardon the action. “Excuse someone to do” is not the parallel complement construction.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| forgive or pardon a person for an action | excuse + person + for + noun/-ing | Use the documented “for” construction. |
| release a person from an obligation | excuse + person + from + noun/-ing | This is a different construction and meaning. |
| trying to use “excuse + person + to + verb” as the forgiving complement | not the parallel pattern | Do not substitute it for “for doing.” |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Is the following action the conduct or circumstance you are forgiving or pardoning?
If yes: Use “excuse someone for doing something.”
If no: If you mean release from a duty, use the separate “excuse someone from …” pattern.
Caveat: This contrast addresses the documented forgiving/pardoning complement. A surface sequence containing “excuse someone to …” can have another parse in context, so do not label every such sequence universally impossible.
Examples
Please excuse me for arriving late.
The -ing action is the conduct for which pardon is requested.
They excused her for missing the first session.
“For” introduces the action being forgiven.
The teacher excused him from attending the assembly.
“From” marks release from an obligation, a different meaning from forgiving an act.
Further guidance
Boundary
Do not confuse this with “excuse someone from doing something,” which means release the person from an obligation or attendance requirement rather than forgive a completed act.
Construction
The conventional complement is excuse + person + for + noun/-ing clause when the following action is the reason, conduct, or circumstance being referred to.
Decision
Use “excuse someone for doing something” when you mean forgive or pardon the action. “Excuse someone to do” is not the parallel complement construction.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- excuse for something/doing something — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Current dictionary construction showing excuse someone for something / doing something in the forgiveness sense.