pardon
noun
par·don
| \ ˈpär-dᵊn
\
\
Definition of pardon
(Entry 1 of 2)
2
: the excusing of an offense without exacting a penalty
offered a pardon to the draft evader
3a
: a release from the legal penalties of an offense
b
: an official warrant of remission of penalty
a royal pardon later released him from a death sentence — American Guide Series: Maryland
4
: excuse or forgiveness for a fault, offense, or discourtesy
I beg your pardon She asked my pardon for taking up so much of my time.
pardon
verb
pardoned;
pardoning\ ˈpärd-niŋ
, ˈpär-dᵊn-iŋ \
, ˈpär-dᵊn-iŋ \
Definition of pardon (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for pardon
Synonyms: Noun
absolution, amnesty, forgiveness, remission, remittal
Synonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Noun
penalty, punishment, retribution
Antonyms: Verb
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Examples of pardon in a Sentence
Noun
The governor granted him a pardon. He asked my pardon for taking so much of my time.Verb
he eventually pardoned his sister for interfering in his marriage I'm willing to pardon a little sloppiness of dress in such a kind and loving person.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
In her application to the court, Mukherjea prays for pardon in the case in exchange of full and true disclosure. — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "A timeline of key events that led to the arrest of India’s former finance minister," 22 Aug. 2019 After his return to Alabama, Vincent served five years in prison before receiving a pardon from Alabama Gov. Thomas Goode Jones. — al, "Alabama treasurer ‘Honest Ike’ stole $200,000 and fled the state in 1883," 7 Aug. 2019 Supreme Court may have weakened Trump’s pardon power A Supreme Court ruling could have major implications for prosecutions related to the Russian election meddling scandal. — Kirkpatrick Bado, USA TODAY, "Heiress lived life 'on her own terms'," 17 June 2019 The president’s pardon power doesn’t extend to state charges. — Mark Sherman, BostonGlobe.com, "Supreme Court upholds rule allowing state, federal charges for same crime," 17 June 2019 The South Carolina Republican also had a warning for Trump using his pardon power to help those who were ensnared by Mueller’s investigation. — Mary Clare Jalonick, The Seattle Times, "Democrats ask for Mueller files; GOP exclaims ‘Move on’," 25 Mar. 2019 President Trump is breaking norms by using his pardon power in unconventional ways. — Jimmy Vielkind, WSJ, "Attorney General Seeks Bill Allowing State to Prosecute Trump Aides Who Get Pardon," 12 Mar. 2019 The pardon system for cannabis possession convictions fulfills a promise made by Trudeau during the 2015 election campaign. — Reuters, The Mercury News, "Canada begins pardoning pot possession convictions," 1 Aug. 2019 Cummings also criticized Trump’s pardon of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who made headlines for his harsh pursuit of undocumented immigrants. — Christine Condon, baltimoresun.com, "Timeline: The history of clashes between Trump and Cummings that led up to the president’s Twitter attacks," 29 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
But, pardon the interruption, what about the Nazis? — Arielle Pardes, WIRED, "At Twitter, It Seems No One Can Hear the Screams," 15 Aug. 2019 Connecticut’s Board of Pardons and Paroles in 2017 pardoned Thompson for a second-degree assault conviction that occurred 17 years ago, when Thompson, a Jamaican immigrant living here legally with his citizen father, was 18 years old. — Josh Kovner, courant.com, "Is the Trump administration singling out Connecticut? Federal immigration authorities refuse to recognize state’s criminal pardons," 23 July 2019 Former President Jimmy Carter pardoned Yarrow in 1981. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, "Colorscape Festival Drops Peter, Paul & Mary's Peter Yarrow Over 1969 'Indecent Liberties' Jail Sentence," 3 July 2019 That spring and summer, Johnson pardoned thousands of former Confederate officers and politicians and appointed three of them to be governors of their states. — Michael Kazin, The New Republic, "The Impossibility of Impeachment," 10 June 2019 For the long-time fan, original prints of canonical works will prove a big draw (pardon the pun), as will displays of the historical prints and fabrics that have influenced the modern form. — L.m., The Economist, "A magnificent exhibition of manga at the British Museum," 5 June 2019 Shortly afterward, Chavez and other insurgents were pardoned to soothe unrest while a domestic banking crisis hammered the economy. — Peter Millard, Bloomberg.com, "A Timeline of Venezuela’s Economic Rise and Fall," 16 Feb. 2019 After all, Trump can’t pardon convictions for state crimes, and the Trump Organization is based in New York. — Sean Illing, Vox, "What does Michael Cohen’s plea deal mean for Trump? I asked 9 legal experts.," 29 Nov. 2018 Gordon left the Patriots in the lurch last season, getting suspended with two games left in the regular season, but that’s pardoned because the Patriots went on to lift the Lombardi Trophy for the sixth time. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Patriots can welcome back Josh Gordon, but they shouldn’t rely on him," 19 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pardon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for pardon
pardon
noun
English Language Learners Definition of pardon
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an act of officially saying that someone who was judged to be guilty of a crime will be allowed to go free and will not be punished
formal