Definition of amnesty
amnesties
: the act of an authority (such as a government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals The government granted amnesty to all political prisoners. a general amnesty
amnesty
transitive verbExplore M-W
Examples of amnesty in a Sentence
The government gave amnesty to all political prisoners.
Illegal immigrants who came into the country before 1982 were granted amnesty.
Recent Examples of amnesty from the Web
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Alonso Leon’s family gained permanent residence status under a Reagan-era amnesty.
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Atlanta’s municipal court offered a similar amnesty program over several weeks last year.
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Plascencia would spend the rest of the day in ICE custody, fearful that she would be deported despite becoming an American citizen some 20 years ago, following an amnesty program initiated by President Ronald Reagan.
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Five of Sweden’s seven political parties demanded amnesty for apathetic patients.
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These weren't particularly large shifts — not everyone was swayed, and nobody’s opinions changed on the more issues, like amnesty for undocumented immigrants.
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Though the Bolsheviks revered the survivors of Siberia and granted amnesty to tens of thousands of prisoners when Nicholas II abdicated, the scars were deep.
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Under one tax amnesty program, Indians owned up this year to about $10 billion in income on which taxes had not been paid, the Modi administration said last month.
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This should not have surprised anyone since polls consistently find that an overwhelming majority of Colombians oppose amnesty for war crimes and unelected congressional seats for the FARC, both of which were central to the agreement.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amnesty'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of amnesty
Greek amnēstia forgetfulness, from amnēstos forgotten, from a- + mnasthai to remember — more at mind
First Known Use: 1580
Other Government and Politics Terms
AMNESTY Defined for English Language Learners
amnesty
playDefinition of amnesty for English Language Learners
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: a decision that a group of people will not be punished or that a group of prisoners will be allowed to go free
Law Dictionary
amnesty
playLegal Definition of amnesty
amnesties
: an act of clemency by an authority (as a government) by which pardon is granted especially to a group of individuals illegal-alien farm workers seeking amnesty — National Law Journal
Learn More about amnesty
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for amnesty Spanish Central: Translation of amnesty Nglish: Translation of amnesty for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of amnesty for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about amnesty
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