pardon
Americannoun
-
pardons
plural
-
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?
-
Law.
-
a release from the penalty of an offense; a remission of penalty, as by a governor.
-
the document by which such remission is declared.
-
-
forgiveness of a serious offense or offender.
- Synonyms:
- remission, absolution
-
Obsolete. a papal indulgence.
verb (used with object)
-
pardons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pardoned,
past participle, past
-
pardoning
present participle
interjection
verb
noun
-
forgiveness; allowance
-
-
release from punishment for an offence
-
the warrant granting such release
-
-
a Roman Catholic indulgence
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
-
pardonablenessnoun
-
nonpardoningadjective
-
pardonableadjective
-
pardonlessadjective
-
unpardonableadjective
-
unpardonedadjective
-
unpardoningadjective
-
pardonablyadverb
-
unpardonablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pardonsimple
-
pardonssimple
-
have pardonedperfect
-
has pardonedperfect
-
am pardoningprogressive
-
are pardoningprogressive
-
is pardoningprogressive
-
have been pardoningperfect progressive
-
has been pardoningperfect progressive
Past
-
pardonedsimple
-
had pardonedperfect
-
was pardoningprogressive
-
were pardoningprogressive
-
had been pardoningperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing pardon
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act IV
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The pardon does not appear to extend to a separate case in December where Najib was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
However, Sirisena personally intervened and granted Gnanasara a presidential pardon in 2019 after the monk had served less than a year of his sentence.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
On Dec. 11, 2025, Trump issued what he characterized as a pardon of Peters.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Shvartsman and his associates “arranged meetings” with “contacts and stars” associated with the movie in the hopes of achieving his goal of a pardon, the lawsuit said, though it doesn’t state specifically whom he targeted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
"After the excitement has blown over and not more than six months after the trial, you will be freed with full presidential pardon and complete exoneration of all charges on which you will be tried."
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Presidential pardons only cover federal offences, not state-level cases.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Also, critically, pardons cannot be offered for future offenses.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
Throughout history, kings and popes traditionally celebrated “jubilee” years with granting pardons and forgiving sins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
What she wants is an apology, and Mary batting her eyes and offering her heartfelt pardons won’t be enough.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
"A hundred pardons, my lord," his master said hur-riedly to Ned.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
In a September 2024 motion, Murrill claimed that by vacating Brooks’ manslaughter conviction while he was a free man and not a prisoner, the court essentially pardoned him.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
In October Mr. Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, a Binance co-founder who had been convicted of violating money-laundering laws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
He’s no longer a quintessential underdog routinely pardoned for his bad defense, his questionable durability and his tendency to tighten up in the playoffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Cambodia's acting head of state, former prime minister Hun Sen, pardoned opposition leader Kem Sokha on Monday from a sentence of almost three decades for treason.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
It would look bad for the American consul to be hosting a man who has only just been pardoned by the government.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
Hun Sen, who is currently Cambodia's acting head of state, signed a decree pardoning his political rival on behalf of King Norodom Sihamoni.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
One of Barnett’s previous clients was Alice Marie Johnson, a great-grandmother serving a life sentence for a first-time federal drug offense; Trump commuted her sentence in 2018 before fully pardoning her in 2020.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
Gerald Ford is best remembered not for his administration’s fight against inflation or for signing campaign finance reforms but for pardoning his predecessor, Richard Nixon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2025
So he protected his son by pardoning him.
From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2024
Farmer asked, referring to his argument with Alex about pardoning prisoners.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
