condone
[ kuh n-dohn ]
/ kənˈdoʊn /
verb (used with object), con·doned, con·don·ing.
to disregard or overlook (something illegal, objectionable, or the like): The government condoned the computer hacking among rival corporations.
to give tacit approval to: By his silence, he seemed to condone their behavior.
to pardon or forgive (an offense); excuse: His employers are willing to condone the exaggerations they uncovered in his résumé.
to cause the condonation of; justify the pardoning of (an offense).
Law. to forgive or act so as to imply forgiveness of (a violation of the marriage vow): His spouse condoned his infidelity from the early years of their marriage.
Nearby words
- condom,
- condominium,
- condon,
- condonance,
- condonation,
- condor,
- condorcet,
- condorcet, marie jean antoine nicolas caritat, marquis de,
- condottiere,
- conduce
Origin of condone
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for condone
condone
/ (kənˈdəʊn) /
verb (tr)
to overlook or forgive (an offence)
law (esp of a spouse) to pardon or overlook (an offence, usually adultery)
Word Origin for condone
C19: from Latin condōnāre to remit a debt, from com- (intensive) + dōnāre to donate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
condone
1857, from Latin condonare "to give up, remit, permit," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + donare "to give" (see donation). Originally a legal term in the Matrimonial Causes Act, which made divorce a civil matter in Britain. Related: Condoned; condoning.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper