pardon

1 of 2

noun

par·​don ˈpär-dᵊn 

1

: indulgence sense 4

2

: the excusing of an offense without exacting a penalty

offered a pardon to the draft evader

3

a

: 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

2 of 2

verb

pardoned; pardoning ˈpärd-niŋ 

ˈpär-dᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

1

a

: to absolve from the consequences of a fault or crime

b

: to allow (an offense) to pass without punishment : forgive

c

: to relieve of a penalty improperly assessed

2

: tolerate

Synonyms

Noun

• absolution
• amnesty
• forgiveness
• remission
• remittal

Verb

• forgive

Choose the Right Synonym for pardon

excuse, condone, pardon, forgive mean to exact neither punishment nor redress.

excuse may refer to specific acts especially in social or conventional situations or the person responsible for these.

excuse an interruption

excused them for interrupting

Often the term implies extenuating circumstances.

injustice excuses strong responses

condone implies that one overlooks without censure behavior (such as dishonesty or violence) that involves a serious breach of a moral, ethical, or legal code, and the term may refer to the behavior or to the agent responsible for it.

a society that condones alcohol but not narcotics

pardon implies that one remits a penalty due for an admitted or established offense.

pardon a criminal

forgive implies that one gives up all claim to requital and to resentment or vengeful feelings.

could not forgive their rudeness

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 after she apologized

I'm willing to pardon a little sloppiness of dress in such a kind and loving person.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In his first term, Trump did not issue a pardon until August 2017, about half a year after taking office. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 29 Apr. 2025

Like the more than a hundred political prisoners released under the Vatican deal, Ferrer and Navarro were not given a pardon or amnesty but were released on conditional parole. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2025

Verb

Another option would be that Trump could pardon anyone charged with contempt. —Bart Jansen, USA Today, 1 May 2025

Trump pardoned Flynn in late 2020, months before leaving office. Correction: John Ratcliffe is director of the CIA. —Dan Mangan, CNBC, 1 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French pardun, pardoun, from parduner

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French parduner, from Late Latin perdonare to grant freely, from Latin per- thoroughly + donare to give — more at parboil, donation

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing pardon

• beg one's pardon
• beg pardon
• I beg your pardon
• pardon my French
• presidential/royal pardon

Rhymes for pardon

• cardan
• garden

Kids Definition

pardon

1 of 2 noun

par·​don ˈpärd-ᵊn 

: the excusing of an offense without a penalty

pardonable

ˈpärd-nə-bəl

-ᵊn-ə-bəl

adjective

pardonably

-blē

adverb

pardon

2 of 2 verb

pardoned; pardoning ˈpärd-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

1

: to free from penalty

2

: to forgive an offense

Legal Definition

pardon

noun

par·​don

1

: a release from the legal penalties of an offense

2

: an official warrant of remission of penalty as an act of clemency compare commute

3

: excuse or forgiveness for a fault or offense

pardon transitive verb