amnesty

American  

[am-nuh-stee] / ˈæm nə sti /

noun

plural

amnesties

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)

amnestied, amnestying

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.

Related Words

See pardon.

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; a- ⁶, -y ³

Example Sentences

Some might scream this amounts to amnesty, but with America’s aging population, we’re going to need many more foreign workers to wash dishes, hang drywall and pick strawberries.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Many of us are aware that the amnesty law does not cover our relatives," Hiowanka Avila, 39, told AFP outside the Rodeo 1 prison near Caracas, where many of the detainees are ex-soldiers or officers.

From Barron's

Under the terms of the law, opposition politicians and activists can apply for amnesty from charges stemming from political events going back more than 20 years.

From The Wall Street Journal

His comments come shortly after the country's interim President, Delcy Rodríguez, signed an amnesty bill approved by its National Assembly that could lead to the release of hundreds of political prisoners.

From BBC

Congress is not due to sit again before Thursday, and it is not known when the amnesty bill will next come up for discussion.

From Barron's

Related Words

• forgiveness
• immunity
• reprieve