pardon
Americannoun
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pardons
plural
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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?
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Law.
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a release from the penalty of an offense; a remission of penalty, as by a governor.
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the document by which such remission is declared.
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forgiveness of a serious offense or offender.
- Synonyms:
- remission, absolution
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Obsolete. a papal indulgence.
verb (used with object)
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pardons,
present (3rd person singular)
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pardoned,
past participle, past
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pardoning
present participle
interjection
verb
noun
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forgiveness; allowance
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release from punishment for an offence
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the warrant granting such release
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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
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pardonablenessnoun
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nonpardoningadjective
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pardonableadjective
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pardonlessadjective
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unpardonableadjective
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unpardonedadjective
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unpardoningadjective
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pardonablyadverb
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unpardonablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pardonsimple
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pardonssimple
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have pardonedperfect
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has pardonedperfect
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am pardoningprogressive
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are pardoningprogressive
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is pardoningprogressive
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have been pardoningperfect progressive
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has been pardoningperfect progressive
Past
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pardonedsimple
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had pardonedperfect
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was pardoningprogressive
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were pardoningprogressive
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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
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act IV
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The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
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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:
The pardon covered his son's federal gun conviction, a tax case he'd pled guilty to and any federal offences committed between 2014 and 2024.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
But law scholars are split on the issue that opens the door to a murky legal maze pitting the reach of a presidential pardon against the scope of the Fifth Amendment.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
By God’s grace, I received a presidential pardon on Jan. 23, 2025, soon after Thomas More Society lawyers sent a formal pardon petition to President Trump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The deal was supposed to help him secure a Trump pardon after a federal gun case, but the pardon never materialized, and Boosie is now trying to recover part of the money through arbitration.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
“Begging your pardon, ma’am,” returned the housemaid, “I should wish to speak at once, and to speak to master.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
White House officials are considering a plan for President Trump to issue 250 pardons as a way to mark the celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday this summer, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
In Northern Ireland, the Department of Justice is working on a review of the pardons and disregards scheme, with a view to bringing new proposals to the Executive in the next Assembly mandate.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Also, critically, pardons cannot be offered for future offenses.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
The White House has said the president does not issue pardons at the request of lobbyists.
From Salon ● Apr. 21, 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
The day before she was executed, she wrote to George Rogers, the Labour MP for Kensington North at the time, who had campaigned for her to be pardoned.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 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
Appearing in court on Tuesday, he expressed regret and was pardoned.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Perhaps if he was, Julius would be pardoned and it would all blow over....
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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
A recent Associated Press survey indicated only two in 10 Americans approve of pardoning most of those involved.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 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
“Seeing as your boy is so young, and El Jefe has been pardoning most minors . . .” He swilled his drink around so the ice tinkled against the glass.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
