Definition of PARDON (original) (raw)
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
She asked my pardon for taking up so much of my time.
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
Synonyms
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.
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.
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fact check: No, police union didn't rescind Trump endorsement over Jan. 6 _pardons_CNN, CBS News and BBC News broadcasted similar clips of the demonstration. —Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025 The pardons include those who were convicted of violent crimes and assaulting police officers. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
Trump cannot pardon state crimes or control the local DA. —Nick Akerman, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2025 The firing of agency staff comes around two weeks after Trump took office and pardoned more than 1,500 January 6 participants, including those serving jail time. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for pardon 
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of pardon was in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near pardon
Cite this Entry
“Pardon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pardon. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 8 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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