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alibi

Noun

IPA /ˈæləbaɪ/

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Meaning in plain English

Evidence that someone was somewhere else when a crime happened, so they could not have committed it.

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Pronunciation

alibi/ˈæləbaɪ/

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A crime happens at a particular time
Evidence places the suspect elsewhere
Their location rules out involvement

An alibi provides evidence that someone was somewhere else when a crime occurred.

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Examples in context

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In the mystery programme, a train ticket gives the suspect an alibi.
The law students checked whether the witness could confirm the defendant's alibi.

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In the mystery programme, a train ticket gives the suspect an ________.

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alibi — Evidence that someone was somewhere else when a crime happened, so they could not have committed it.

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Evidence that someone was somewhere else when a crime happened, so they could not have committed it.

Compare: In the mystery programme, a train ticket gives the suspect an alibi.

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Word origin

From Latin alibi, meaning elsewhere.

Did you know?

The plural is alibis, without an e before the final s.

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