pardon
Americannoun
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pardons
plural
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kind indulgence, as in forgiveness of an offense or discourtesy or in tolerance of a distraction or inconvenience.
I beg your pardon, but which way is Spruce Street?
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Law.
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a release from the penalty of an offense; a remission of penalty, as by a governor.
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the document by which such remission is declared.
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forgiveness of a serious offense or offender.
- Synonyms:
- remission, absolution
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Obsolete. a papal indulgence.
verb (used with object)
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pardons,
present (3rd person singular)
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pardoned,
past participle, past
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pardoning
present participle
interjection
verb
noun
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forgiveness; allowance
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release from punishment for an offence
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the warrant granting such release
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a Roman Catholic indulgence
Synonym Usage
Pardon, amnesty, reprieve are nouns referring to the cancellation, or delay with the possibility of eventual cancellation, of a punishment or penalty assigned for the violation of a military regulation or a civil law; absolution from guilt is not implied, merely a remission of the penalty. A pardon is granted to an individual, often by the action of a government official such as a governor, president, or monarch, and releases the individual from any punishment due for the infraction of the law, as a death sentence, prison term, or fine: to be released from prison with a full pardon. An amnesty is a pardon granted to a group of persons for past offenses against a government; it often includes an assurance of no future prosecution: to grant amnesty to political prisoners; an amnesty period for delinquent taxpayers during which no penalties are assessed. A reprieve is a delay of impending punishment, especially a death sentence; it does not cancel or remit the punishment, it simply delays it, usually for a specific period of time or until a decision can be arrived at as to the possibility of pardon or reduction of sentence: a last-minute reprieve, allowing the filing of an appeal to the Supreme Court. See excuse.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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pardonablenessnoun
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nonpardoningadjective
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pardonableadjective
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pardonlessadjective
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unpardonableadjective
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unpardonedadjective
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unpardoningadjective
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pardonablyadverb
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unpardonablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pardonsimple
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pardonssimple
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have pardonedperfect
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has pardonedperfect
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am pardoningprogressive
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are pardoningprogressive
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is pardoningprogressive
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have been pardoningperfect progressive
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has been pardoningperfect progressive
Past
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pardonedsimple
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had pardonedperfect
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was pardoningprogressive
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were pardoningprogressive
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had been pardoningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pardon
First recorded in 1300–50; (noun) Middle English pardoun(e), from Old French, Middle French pardon, pardun, perdun ( French pardon ), from Medieval Latin perdōnum ; (verb) Middle English pardonen, perdonen, from Anglo-French, Old French pardoner, perduner ( French pardonner), from Medieval Latin perdōnāre “to give freely, overlook,” equivalent to Latin intensive prefix per- per- + dōnāre “to give,” see donation
Explanation
If you belch, interrupt a conversation, or leave the table during dinner, you’re expected to say “Pardon me.” Once you’ve requested your companions’ pardon, or forgiveness, you can assume you have it; you don’t need to wait for their response. The word pardon often occurs in the phrases “Pardon me” and “I beg your pardon.” (While “I beg your pardon” literally means “I request your forgiveness,” it’s used to indicate that the speaker did not hear what was just said.) Outside of these everyday phrases, pardon is typically used in formal or legal situations. If the president pardons a criminal, for example, the criminal is forgiven in the sense that he or she no longer has to serve the penalty for the crime.
Vocabulary lists containing pardon
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act IV
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The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
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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:
In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC's Newsnight, Hunter Biden defended the controversial pardon, revealed his father's "painful" cancer has spread, ruled out seeking elected office and spoke about helping others recover from addiction.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Speaking at a farm in front of hundreds of supporters, Hernandez thanked Trump for the pardon.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
He received a second presidential pardon in August 2015.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The deal was supposed to help him secure a Trump pardon after a federal gun case, but the pardon never materialized, and Boosie is now trying to recover part of the money through arbitration.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
He always slept with one eye open, so in a moment he raised up and rubbed his cold nose against mine to beg my pardon for his absence.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
And under the state constitution, only the governor has the power to issue pardons.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
In Northern Ireland, the Department of Justice is working on a review of the pardons and disregards scheme, with a view to bringing new proposals to the Executive in the next Assembly mandate.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
This leaves the president’s power to grant pardons.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
Plus, the White House considers issuing 250 pardons to mark America’s 250th birthday, and Drake returns with a new album.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Maybe to prove himself right, Trujillo was granting more and more pardons and visiting passes.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
In a September 2024 motion, Murrill claimed that by vacating Brooks’ manslaughter conviction while he was a free man and not a prisoner, the court essentially pardoned him.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
A Honduran judge ruled on Monday that former president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was pardoned last year of US drug trafficking charges by President Donald Trump, can remain free while facing his corruption trial.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
In October Mr. Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, a Binance co-founder who had been convicted of violating money-laundering laws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
From glamour model to nightclub manager - who was pardoned killer Ruth Ellis?
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Then and only then would I have the right, so to speak—would I give myself permission, as it were—to consider the alternative hypothesis: I was pardoned.
From "The Stranger" by Albert Camus
"To be clear, I am not pardoning Tina Peters, and I have never considered a pardon," Polis wrote in a lengthy Facebook post.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
Asked after the Supreme Court ruling if he would consider pardoning Maxwell, Trump said, “I’d have to take a look at it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
Gerald Ford is best remembered not for his administration’s fight against inflation or for signing campaign finance reforms but for pardoning his predecessor, Richard Nixon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2025
"No, I have no contemplation of pardoning myself for anything. I didn’t do anything wrong."
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2025
“Seeing as your boy is so young, and El Jefe has been pardoning most minors . . .” He swilled his drink around so the ice tinkled against the glass.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
