amnesty

American  

[am-nuh-stee] / ˈæm nə sti /

noun

amnesties plural

1. a general pardon for offenses, especially political offenses, against a government, often granted before any trial or conviction.

2. Law. an act of forgiveness for past offenses, especially to a class of persons as a whole.

3. a forgetting or overlooking of any past offense.

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verb (used with object)

amnesties, present (3rd person singular) amnestied, past participle, past amnestying present participle

1. to grant amnesty to; pardon.

amnesty British  

/ ˈæmnɪstɪ /

noun

1. a general pardon, esp for offences against a government

2. a period during which a law is suspended to allow offenders to admit their crime without fear of prosecution

3. law a pardon granted by the Crown or Executive and effected by statute

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verb

1. (tr) to overlook or forget (an offence)

Usage

What does amnesty mean? Amnesty is a pardon for offenses against a government, especially before a trial or conviction for those offenses. Amnesty also means an overlooking of past offenses. In law, amnesty refers to an act of forgiveness for past offenses, often issued to a class of people. An amnesty is a pardon for criminal offenses. However, a pardon can only be given after someone is judged guilty. Amnesty can be given before a judgment is made. Amnesty often also refers to the process of allowing undocumented immigrants stay in the country rather than be deported. Sometimes, an amnesty is named after the thing being forgiven. For example, an amnesty that says as long as you give in your illegal guns to the government you won’t be prosecuted for illegal ownership would be called a gun amnesty or firearm amnesty. Example: The government offered an amnesty for anyone owning an illegal weapon if they handed the weapon in before the deadline.

Synonym Usage

See pardon.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• amnesties
  plural

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have amnestied
  perfect
• has amnestied
  perfect 3rd person singular
• is amnestying
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am amnestying
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been amnestying
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are amnestying
  progressive
• amnesties
  singular 3rd person
• have been amnestying
  perfect progressive
• amnestying
  participle

Past

• had amnestied
  perfect
• amnestied
  participle
• had been amnestying
  perfect progressive
• was amnestying
  progressive singular
• were amnestying
  progressive plural
• amnestied
  simple

Future

• will amnesty
  simple
• will have amnestied
  perfect
• will be amnestying
  progressive
• will have been amnestying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of amnesty

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French amnestie, or directly from Latin amnēstia, from Greek amnēstía “oblivion,” equivalent to ámnēst(os) “forgetting” (from a- negative prefix + mnēs- “remember” + -tos verbal adjective suffix) + -ia noun suffix; see a- ⁶, -y ³

Explanation

Amnesty means an official pardon, often for a large group of people. When political prisoners receive amnesty, all legal records of their convictions are officially eliminated. Amnesty sounds a little like "amnesia," and that's because in its more specific sense amnesty means "forgetting." The government will essentially forget about any crimes that may have been committed. As part of a truce, amnesty can be granted to opposition forces, and if an incarcerated person gets amnesty, they're set free.

Example Sentences

A previous amnesty named "Operation Blade", run in the former Strathclyde policing area in 1993, saw about 4,500 weapons voluntarily given up.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Rodriguez, who served as Maduro's vice president, has also pushed through an amnesty law that led to the release of hundreds of political prisoners, though some 500 remain behind bars.

From Barron's • May 11, 2026

She was granted amnesty and became a U.S. citizen under the immigration reform bill signed by President Reagan in 1986.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026

The new deal reforms the controversial Legacy Act, which had included a conditional amnesty and was strongly opposed by victims' groups and all political parties in Northern Ireland.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

That month, I had another homecoming: I returned to Robben Island in order to persuade twenty-five MK political prisoners to accept the government’s offer of amnesty and leave the island.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• forgiveness
• immunity
• reprieve