diplomatic immunity

See synonyms for diplomatic immunity on Thesaurus.com

noun

exemption from taxation, searches, arrest, etc., enjoyed by diplomatic officials and their dependent families under international law, and usually on a reciprocal basis.

Origin of diplomatic immunity

First recorded in 1910–15

Words Nearby diplomatic immunity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use diplomatic immunity in a sentence

Diplomats from countries lacking the rule of law, for instance, regularly flouted parking rules in New York City when they had diplomatic immunity.
Why power attracts the wrong kind of people | Rachel Kleinfeld | November 19, 2021 | Washington Post
Since the fatal incident, Dunn’s family has campaigned for her to be stripped of diplomatic immunity so she can return to Britain to face justice.
Live updates: G-7 leaders commit to donating 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines as summit begins | John Wagner, Colby Itkowitz, Eugene Scott, Felicia Sonmez | June 11, 2021 | Washington Post
The U.S. claimed that Davis carried a diplomatic passport and therefore enjoyed diplomatic immunity.
Husain Haqqani on America’s Diplomat Shame | Husain Haqqani | December 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Americans – along with other foreign embassies - claim diplomatic immunity and refuse to pay them.
London Parking Warden Tickets Hillary Clinton's Car | Tom Sykes | October 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
His attorneys argued that he enjoyed diplomatic immunity as head of the IMF.
DSK’s Immunity Claim Rejected: Nafissatou Diallo Will Have Her Day in Court | Christopher Dickey | May 1, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

But I wonder about the necessity for diplomatic immunity for an innocent person.
DSK's French Accuser Speaks | Tracy McNicoll | September 30, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
He asks if the handcuffs are necessary and declares: “I have diplomatic immunity.”
The Strauss-Kahn Timeline | Christopher Dickey, John Solomon | July 24, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
And it would practically destroy the principle of diplomatic immunity.
Lone Star Planet | Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

British Dictionary definitions for diplomatic immunity

diplomatic immunity

noun

the immunity from local jurisdiction and exemption from taxation in the country to which they are accredited afforded to diplomats

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

Cultural definitions for diplomatic immunity

diplomatic immunity

Exemption of diplomats — ambassadors and other representatives of a foreign nation — from the laws of the nation to which they are assigned.

Notes for diplomatic immunity

Foreign representatives have sometimes gone unpunished for serious crimes after claiming diplomatic immunity. The main purpose of diplomatic immunity, however, is to protect diplomats from harassment or arrest by their host government.

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