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

In May, the U.S. offered Maduro a deal to leave Venezuela for a life in exile in exchange for an amnesty that would shield him from drug charges, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Myanmar's junta said on Sunday it would release more than 6,000 prisoners as part of an annual amnesty to mark the country's independence day.

From Barron's

In 2014 he signed an amnesty deal with the government, agreeing to give up opposition activity in exchange for a pardon.

From The Wall Street Journal

Congress also passed the so-called Fiscal Innocence bill—an amnesty measure to encourage Argentines to put undeclared cash back into the bank without suffering penalties for tax evasion.

From The Wall Street Journal

On Christmas Day in 1868, President Andrew Johnson issued a sweeping amnesty to former Confederate officials and soldiers, ending legal consequences for those who rebelled against the United States.

From Salon

Related Words

• forgiveness
• immunity
• reprieve