pardon

American  

[pahr-dn] / ˈpɑr dn /

noun

pardons plural

1. kind indulgence, as in forgiveness of an offense or discourtesy or in tolerance of a distraction or inconvenience.

   I beg your pardon, but which way is Spruce Street?

2. Law.

   1. a release from the penalty of an offense; a remission of penalty, as by a governor.

   2. the document by which such remission is declared.

3. forgiveness of a serious offense or offender.

   Synonyms:

   remission, absolution

4. Obsolete. a papal indulgence.

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verb (used with object)

pardons, present (3rd person singular) pardoned, past participle, past pardoning present participle

1. to make courteous allowance for or to excuse.

   Pardon me, madam.

   Antonyms:

   blame, censure

2. to release (a person) from liability for an offense.

   Synonyms:

   clear, acquit

3. to remit the penalty of (an offense).

   The governor will not pardon your crime.

   Synonyms:

   overlook, condone, absolve, forgive

interjection

1. (used, with rising inflection, as an elliptical form of I beg your pardon, as when asking a speaker to repeat something not clearly heard or understood.)

pardon British  

/ ˈpɑːdən /

verb

1. to excuse or forgive (a person) for (an offence, mistake, etc)

   to pardon someone

   to pardon a fault

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noun

1. forgiveness; allowance

2. 1. release from punishment for an offence

   2. the warrant granting such release

3. a Roman Catholic indulgence

1. Also: pardon me.   I beg your pardon. 

   1. sorry; excuse me

   2. what did you say?

pardon Idioms  

1. see beg to differ; excuse me.

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Synonym Usage

Pardon, amnesty, reprieve are nouns referring to the cancellation, or delay with the possibility of eventual cancellation, of a punishment or penalty assigned for the violation of a military regulation or a civil law; absolution from guilt is not implied, merely a remission of the penalty. A pardon is granted to an individual, often by the action of a government official such as a governor, president, or monarch, and releases the individual from any punishment due for the infraction of the law, as a death sentence, prison term, or fine: to be released from prison with a full pardon. An amnesty is a pardon granted to a group of persons for past offenses against a government; it often includes an assurance of no future prosecution: to grant amnesty to political prisoners; an amnesty period for delinquent taxpayers during which no penalties are assessed. A reprieve is a delay of impending punishment, especially a death sentence; it does not cancel or remit the punishment, it simply delays it, usually for a specific period of time or until a decision can be arrived at as to the possibility of pardon or reduction of sentence: a last-minute reprieve, allowing the filing of an appeal to the Supreme Court. See excuse.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pardonableness
  noun
• nonpardoning
  adjective
• pardonable
  adjective
• pardonless
  adjective
• unpardonable
  adjective
• unpardoned
  adjective
• unpardoning
  adjective
• pardonably
  adverb
• unpardonably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pardons
  plural

Participles

• pardoning
  present
• pardoned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pardon
  simple
• pardons
  simple
• have pardoned
  perfect
• has pardoned
  perfect
• am pardoning
  progressive
• are pardoning
  progressive
• is pardoning
  progressive
• have been pardoning
  perfect progressive
• has been pardoning
  perfect progressive

Past

• pardoned
  simple
• had pardoned
  perfect
• was pardoning
  progressive
• were pardoning
  progressive
• had been pardoning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pardon
  simple
• will have pardoned
  perfect
• will be pardoning
  progressive
• will have been pardoning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pardon

First recorded in 1300–50; (noun) Middle English pardoun(e), from Old French, Middle French pardon, pardun, perdun ( French pardon ), from Medieval Latin perdōnum ; (verb) Middle English pardonen, perdonen, from Anglo-French, Old French pardoner, perduner ( French pardonner), from Medieval Latin perdōnāre “to give freely, overlook,” equivalent to Latin intensive prefix per- per- + dōnāre “to give,” see donation

Explanation

If you belch, interrupt a conversation, or leave the table during dinner, you’re expected to say “Pardon me.” Once you’ve requested your companions’ pardon, or forgiveness, you can assume you have it; you don’t need to wait for their response. The word pardon often occurs in the phrases “Pardon me” and “I beg your pardon.” (While “I beg your pardon” literally means “I request your forgiveness,” it’s used to indicate that the speaker did not hear what was just said.) Outside of these everyday phrases, pardon is typically used in formal or legal situations. If the president pardons a criminal, for example, the criminal is forgiven in the sense that he or she no longer has to serve the penalty for the crime.

Example Sentences

Liz Oyer served as a DOJ pardon attorney under the Biden administration and, two days after Blanche was confirmed as deputy AG, was fired.

From Slate • Jul. 9, 2026

Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK, has been granted a posthumous conditional pardon.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026

"While the pardon does not claim she was innocent of killing David Blakely, it replaces the death penalty with a sentence of life imprisonment to recognise a profound injustice in this exceptional case," he added.

From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026

She is appealing the verdict and she has been seeking a presidential pardon, The Wall Street Journal reported last month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

"And so indeed, I must beg his pardon," she cackled.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

Related Words

• absolution
• allowance
• amnesty
• clemency
• mercy
• remission
• reprieve