condone
Americanverb (used with object)
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to disregard or overlook (something illegal, objectionable, or the like).
The government condoned the computer hacking among rival corporations.
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to give tacit approval to.
By his silence, he seemed to condone their behavior.
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to pardon or forgive (an offense); excuse.
His employers are willing to condone the exaggerations they uncovered in his résumé.
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to cause the condonation of; justify the pardoning of (an offense).
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Law. to forgive or act so as to imply forgiveness of (a violation of the marriage vow).
His spouse condoned his infidelity from the early years of their marriage.
verb
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to overlook or forgive (an offence)
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law (esp of a spouse) to pardon or overlook (an offence, usually adultery)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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condonesimple
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condonessimple
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have condonedperfect
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has condonedperfect
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am condoningprogressive
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are condoningprogressive
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is condoningprogressive
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have been condoningperfect progressive
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has been condoningperfect progressive
Past
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condonedsimple
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had condonedperfect
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was condoningprogressive
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were condoningprogressive
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had been condoningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of condone
First recorded in 1615–25, but in general currency from its use in the British Divorce Act of 1857 (see condone def. 5 ); from Latin condōnāre “to absolve, grant pardon,” equivalent to con- “with, together” + dōnāre “to give”; see origin at con-, donate
Explanation
If you condone something, you allow it, approve of it, or at least can live with it. Some teachers condone chewing gum, and some don't. Things that are condoned are allowed, even if everyone isn't exactly thrilled about it. People often say, "I don't condone what he did, but I understand it." Condoning is like excusing something. People seem to talk more about things they don't condone than things they do condone. Your mom might say, "I don't condone you staying up till 10, but I know you need to read." That's a way of giving approval and not giving approval at the same time.
Vocabulary lists containing condone
The Hunger Games
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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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:
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the group didn’t condone war, “but I don’t believe athletes should pay the price.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
“I want to be clear that the city of Riverside doesn’t condone this behavior, but we are responsible for fixing the situation that led to it,” she said at the June 9 City Council meeting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Fifa applauded Boateng's principles and made him the first member of its anti-discrimination taskforce, but said it did not condone his decision to walk off.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
“I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.”
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
"It was a great shock to me. Her parents were decent folk, too, who had brought her up very strictly. I'm glad to say they did not condone her behaviour."
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
"No one there condones civilian killings - they know the pain of losing loved ones too well."
From BBC ● May 2, 2025
“This finding is by no means an indication that the Court condones this tremendous lapse in judgment or the unprofessional manner of the District Attorney’s testimony during the evidentiary hearing,” McAfee wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
The main objection is that it condones lying.
From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2024
Referees are human and make mistakes, players make loads of mistakes, but TV only ever focuses on referee mistakes and essentially condones abuse.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2022
He condones all that ordinary judgments regard as the tyranny of conquest, and has for the conquered only a væ victis.
From Thomas Carlyle by Nichol, John
The Central Asian leader, who is a Moscow ally but who has never condoned Russia's offensive, said the roots of the war are "not understandable".
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
The firm has said it “categorically does not engage in, nor has it ever condoned, the exchange of money for client retention.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Furey added that Kwatra’s supervisors condoned his distribution of gift cards and other perks to clients to entice them to continue shopping at Saks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
The country's Securities Regulatory Commission found that PwC, as the auditor, had "covered up and even condoned" financial fraud at Evergrande.
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2025
His preoccupation with improving the cyclotron condoned sloppy and inattentive experimental work.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
It isn’t about the Court condoning Mr. Olivier’s speech.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
If he had stayed it would have given the impression that "the culture wouldn't change and that we're condoning it", said Annie Nguyen, a 31-year-old American.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
This is the stuff only the fan of a 17th century witch-sentencing, marital-rape condoning jurist could conjure.
From Slate ● May 29, 2024
In January more than 100 NGOs and 500 activists and cultural figures urged Mr Tusk to end pushbacks and said his government was condoning human rights violations if it did not do so.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2024
In the evening, “I often have to shut my ears to their gossip. If I join in, I feel as though I’m condoning them and I feel bad.”
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
