exonerate
Americanverb (used with object)
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exonerates,
present (3rd person singular)
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exonerated,
past participle, past
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exonerating
present participle
verb
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to clear or absolve from blame or a criminal charge
-
to relieve from an obligation or task; exempt
Synonym Usage
See absolve.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exoneratesimple
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exoneratessimple
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have exoneratedperfect
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has exoneratedperfect
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am exoneratingprogressive
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are exoneratingprogressive
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is exoneratingprogressive
-
have been exoneratingperfect progressive
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has been exoneratingperfect progressive
Past
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exoneratedsimple
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had exoneratedperfect
-
was exoneratingprogressive
-
were exoneratingprogressive
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had been exoneratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exonerate
First recorded in 1515–25; late Middle English, from Latin exonerātus (past participle of exonerāre “to unburden, discharge”), equivalent to ex- “out of, from; thoroughly” + oner- (stem of onus ) “a burden” + -ātus past participle suffix; see ex- 1, -ate 1
Explanation
To exonerate someone is to declare him not guilty of criminal charges. This word is pretty much only used in reference to proceedings in a court of law. A word with a similar meaning that might be familiar is “acquit.” When your next door neighbor was arrested for painting smiley faces on the front doors of all the houses on your block, evidence to exonerate him was discovered when the police found a young hooligan from the next street over with a basement full of paint canisters. The verb comes from the Latin exonerat-, meaning “freed from burden.” A criminal charge is certainly a burden, and when you're exonerated, you're freed from that burden.
Vocabulary lists containing exonerate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Great Expectations
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Just Mercy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But in far more cases—especially controversial shootings—it captured the chain of events clearly enough for investigators to exonerate officers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
"We must not exonerate from all responsibility the seven decades that followed independence," he told the magazine, calling on African leaders to improve governance.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
Our attention then returns to the original flashpoint in a way that should, in some respects, exonerate Glaude’s teacher.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2025
Lawrence Frank, Clippers president of basketball operations, was insistent that the investigation will exonerate owner Steve Ballmer and the franchise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2025
But then I remember that Caleb is still there, because he was a well-known lackey of Jeanine Matthews, and the factionless will never exonerate him.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Telles told the AP during a February 2023 jail interview that he had evidence that exonerates him, but he declined to produce it.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
An Oklahoma judge exonerates a man who spent nearly 50 years in prison on murder charges, the longest serving inmate to be declared innocent of the crime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 18, 2024
While this story might be basically accurate, I don’t think it exonerates SBF the way he seems to think it does.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2023
"We appreciate that the report exonerates Mr. Baldwin by making clear that he believed the gun held only dummy rounds," the statement posted on Baldwin's Instagram account said.
From Reuters ● Apr. 21, 2022
I can think of no answer that exonerates me.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Only once before has an executed person been exonerated posthumously by a state entity.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
During Duncan’s campaign last year for New Orleans criminal court clerk, Murrill sent him a letter threatening “further action from this office” if he didn’t stop referring to himself as being exonerated.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
It pointed to a recent decision by the High Court in London that largely exonerated Renault and four other carmakers from charges that the devices were designed to cheat clean air laws.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
He alleged that the judge had ignored "clear evidence" that would have exonerated Boasiako.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
In 1998, Walter and I were asked to go to Chicago to attend a national conference where exonerated former death row prisoners were planning to gather.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Ten years later, a district court judge ruled that he was factually innocent and threw out his conviction, citing the suppression of exonerating evidence by police, among other factors.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
Only in 1906, after many twists, did the high court of appeal overturn the original verdict, exonerating Dreyfus.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
Parliament later passed a law exonerating all those who had been convicted.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2025
“We have already uncovered exonerating evidence and this case will be dismissed.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2025
Of course you will sign a paper exonerating Henning from all possible implication, now you have acknowledged your own guilt.
From 'As Gold in the Furnace' A College Story by John E. Copus
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
