There are several ways of excusing oneself in the German language, depending on the situation:

– For a legitimate excuse for not being somewhere or not doing something (such as missing school because of a doctor’s appointment) or in the sense of “apology”, or as the term for a “doctor’s note” the word is “Entschuldigung” (f.): “Es gibt keine Entschuldigung für Faulheit.” – “There’s no excuse for laziness.” The word can also be used, of course, to say “sorry” or “excuse me”.

– For a fake excuse (like the proverbial dog eating one’s homework), the word is “Ausrede” (f.): “Das ist nur eine faule Ausrede!” – “That’s just a lame excuse!”

– In the sense of “pretext” or “pretence” (as in, finding an excuse to get out of something unpleasant) the word is “Vorwand” (m.): “Es geschah unter dem Vorwand der Selbstverteidigung.” – “It happened under the pretext of self-defense.”