pardon
pardoned; pardons; pardoning
If you belch, interrupt a conversation, or leave the table during dinner, you’re expected to say “Pardon me.” Once you’ve requested your companions’ pardon, or forgiveness, you can assume you have it; you don’t need to wait for their response.
The word pardon often occurs in the phrases “Pardon me” and “I beg your pardon.” (While “I beg your pardon” literally means “I request your forgiveness,” it’s used to indicate that the speaker did not hear what was just said.) Outside of these everyday phrases, pardon is typically used in formal or legal situations. If the president pardons a criminal, for example, the criminal is forgiven in the sense that he or she no longer has to serve the penalty for the crime.
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accept an excuse for
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grant a pardon to
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the act of excusing a mistake or offense
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synonyms:
forgiveness
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types:
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condonation
a pardon by treating the offender as if the offense had not occurred
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exculpation
the act of freeing from guilt or blame
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condonation
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the formal act of liberating someone
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synonyms:
amnesty, free pardon
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type of:
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clemency, mercifulness, mercy
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
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clemency, mercifulness, mercy
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a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense
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