American Guide Series: Maryland
Synonyms
Examples of pardon in a Sentence
Molly Nagle, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2023
The staffer's lawsuit also alleges Giuliani was selling presidential pardons for $2 million.
—Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2023
In 2006, former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine gave an informal pardon to Grace Sherwood, a widowed midwife who was blamed by neighbors for ruining crops, killing livestock and creating storms and subsequently accused of being a witch.
—CBS News, 31 Oct. 2023
Meanwhile, Burkhart received a pardon from Oklahoma Gov. Henry Bellmon in 1965, despite protests from the Osage.
—Shannon Toll, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2023
If Biden or Harris had continued the PPP program or issued more pardons to renowned federal prisoners, they’d be celebrated the same way by the same people.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2023
The Ted star would publicly apologize for his actions in 2006 and later seek a pardon for his convictions in 2014.
—Colin Scanlon, Redbook, 17 Aug. 2023
Trump’s pardon resulted in Black getting freed from prison after serving a year for falsifying information on federal forms to buy four guns from a Miami firearms shop.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2023
Trump’s pardons of Kodak Black and Lil Wayne also won him figurative points in certain communities.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2023
Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
The turkeys are set to be pardoned by Biden on Monday, as is an annual tradition by the White House ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
—Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 19 Nov. 2023
In addition to this sort of gaslighting (pardon the pun), Trump also exploits xenophobic fears about E.V.s.
—Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2023
Broidy, a major Trump fundraiser and a former finance official with the Republican National Committee, was pardoned by Trump in 2021.
—Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 18 Oct. 2023
Broidy pleaded guilty to illicit lobbying for Chinese and Malaysian interests—prosecutors left his Emirati ties in the background—and then was pardoned by Trump.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2023
Anyone with a brain and access to Google could easily prove otherwise, but in the minds of the rock establishment, this pathology has to be upheld, pardon the phrase, by any means necessary.
—Laronda Davis, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2023
Ultimately, however, Powell’s legal prowess was not required: Trump pardoned Flynn in November, 2020, rendering the case moot.
—Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2023
Ernest was eventually paroled and later pardoned, while Hale was released from prison in 1947 despite having been sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 20 Oct. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pardon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
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
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing pardon
Articles Related to pardon
Dictionary Entries Near pardon
Cite this Entry
“Pardon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pardon. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
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pardon
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on pardon
Nglish: Translation of pardon for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of pardon for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pardon
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