exonerate
Americanverb (used with object)
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exonerates,
present (3rd person singular)
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exonerated,
past participle, past
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exonerating
present participle
verb
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to clear or absolve from blame or a criminal charge
-
to relieve from an obligation or task; exempt
Synonym Usage
See absolve.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
exoneratesimple
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exoneratessimple
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have exoneratedperfect
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has exoneratedperfect
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am exoneratingprogressive
-
are exoneratingprogressive
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is exoneratingprogressive
-
have been exoneratingperfect progressive
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has been exoneratingperfect progressive
Past
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exoneratedsimple
-
had exoneratedperfect
-
was exoneratingprogressive
-
were exoneratingprogressive
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had been exoneratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exonerate
First recorded in 1515–25; late Middle English, from Latin exonerātus (past participle of exonerāre “to unburden, discharge”), equivalent to ex- “out of, from; thoroughly” + oner- (stem of onus ) “a burden” + -ātus past participle suffix; see ex- 1, -ate 1
Explanation
To exonerate someone is to declare him not guilty of criminal charges. This word is pretty much only used in reference to proceedings in a court of law. A word with a similar meaning that might be familiar is “acquit.” When your next door neighbor was arrested for painting smiley faces on the front doors of all the houses on your block, evidence to exonerate him was discovered when the police found a young hooligan from the next street over with a basement full of paint canisters. The verb comes from the Latin exonerat-, meaning “freed from burden.” A criminal charge is certainly a burden, and when you're exonerated, you're freed from that burden.
Vocabulary lists containing exonerate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Great Expectations
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Just Mercy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
These numbers exonerate this summer’s usual suspects of the long-run crime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
"We must not exonerate from all responsibility the seven decades that followed independence," he told the magazine, calling on African leaders to improve governance.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
Our attention then returns to the original flashpoint in a way that should, in some respects, exonerate Glaude’s teacher.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2025
He specifically asked if it would look for DNA evidence that could exonerate him - evidence that would point to an alternative suspect.
From BBC ● May 13, 2025
“That isn’t her doing,” Lazlo said, not to dismiss the threat, but at least to exonerate Sarai.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Thomas and Gorsuch expressed serious doubts that the statute actually exonerates platforms for “deliberately structuring” in a way that could “facilitate” illegal and dangerous activity.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
Telles told the AP during a February 2023 jail interview that he had evidence that exonerates him, but he declined to produce it.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
An Oklahoma judge exonerates a man who spent nearly 50 years in prison on murder charges, the longest serving inmate to be declared innocent of the crime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 18, 2024
He said in a statement earlier this week that he believed the report "exonerates me of all responsibility."
From Reuters ● Apr. 21, 2023
I can think of no answer that exonerates me.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
We know that over the past half-century, more than 200 people have been exonerated after having been sentenced to die, and scholars estimate that 4 percent of those sentenced to death are innocent.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
These include cases in which the men were exonerated through DNA or blood evidence and others in which police are accused of fabricating evidence.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
It pointed to a recent decision by the High Court in London that largely exonerated Renault and four other carmakers from charges that the devices were designed to cheat clean air laws.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
He alleged that the judge had ignored "clear evidence" that would have exonerated Boasiako.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
At this point, Nixon wheeled round and point by point, having defined the terms of the argument to his satisfaction, exonerated himself.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Ten years later, a district court judge ruled that he was factually innocent and threw out his conviction, citing the suppression of exonerating evidence by police, among other factors.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
Only in 1906, after many twists, did the high court of appeal overturn the original verdict, exonerating Dreyfus.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
Legislation exonerating all affected sub-postmasters in Scotland is expected to pass on Thursday.
From BBC ● May 30, 2024
The Los Angeles Innocence Project, a nonprofit legal group with a reputation for exonerating wrongfully convicted criminals, is seeking to clear Peterson in the killings of Laci Peterson and their unborn son, Conner.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2024
It differed from Clarke's in one or two details, but agreed in exonerating you; and she also asked a price which I declined to pay.
From Blake's Burden by Harold Bindloss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
