condone

[ kuh n-dohn ]

/ kənˈdoʊn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR condone ON THESAURUS.COM

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

condolent, condom, condominium, condon, condonation, condone, condor, condorcet, condottiere, conduce, conducive

Origin of condone

1615–25, but in general currency from its use in the British Divorce Act of 1857 (see def. 5); < Latin condōnāre to absolve, grant pardon, equivalent to con- con- + dōnāre to give; see donate

Related forms

con·don·a·ble, adjectivecon·don·er, nounun·con·doned, adjectiveun·con·don·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for condone

In an act of corporal punishment that we at the Daily Beast do not condone, Joseph grabbed Him by the ear and “pulled hard.”
Was Baby Jesus A Holy Terror?|Candida Moss|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On Thursday, Bridenstine responded that he “did not condone” the comments calling for Obama to be executed.
The Right’s Dangerous Rhetoric: Obama as an ‘Enemy Combatant’|Dean Obeidallah|February 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The grand intelligent design blueprint surely would not and could not condone such a partition.
What the Man With No Ass Crack Can Teach Darwinists and Creationists|Kent Sepkowitz|January 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you ignore wrongdoing,” said Clohessy, “you condone wrongdoing.
From Dirty War to Child Abuse, Church’s Past Confronts Pope Francis|Christopher Dickey|March 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST

I cannot condone the PA's performance or its behavior—and I have told them so.
Putting The Blame On "Palestine's Democratic Deficit"|James Zogby|February 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If Dr. McCarthy chose to permit this disrespect, and to condone these outrages, it was his affair and not mine.
The Great Keinplatz Experiment and Other Tales of Twilight and the Unseen|Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I comprehend, I condone, I judge that you have not impaired your qualifications for your high office.
The Unwilling Vestal|Edward Lucas White
We are always meekly asked, even by the most supercilious, to overlook shortcomings, and condone.
The Book of Khalid|Ameen Rihani
A lion's behaviour is often such as no just man could condone.
The Second Thoughts of An Idle Fellow|Jerome K. Jerome
My father, my family, my husband, were willing to condone what they believed was my adultery.
Theft|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions 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)

Derived Forms

condonable, adjectivecondonation (ˌkɒndəʊˈneɪʃən), nouncondoner, noun

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