noun
pardon
PAHDN
noun
1
Forgiveness for an offence.
"He begged her pardon for the careless remark."
2
An official act that releases someone from further punishment for a crime.
"The governor granted the prisoner a full pardon."
verb
1
To forgive someone, or to excuse an offence officially.
"Please pardon my late reply — it's been a hectic week."
"The president pardoned several nonviolent offenders before leaving office."
intj
1
Used to politely ask someone to repeat what they said, or as an apology for a minor slip.
""Pardon?" she said, cupping her ear. "I didn't catch that.""
How to Use Pardon
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo forgive someone, or the official act of excusing a criminal conviction; also a polite way of saying "sorry, could you repeat that?"
Common pairings
beg pardon
grant a pardon
presidential pardon
Word Forms
pardoned past tense, pardons plural, pardons singular
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Etymology
From Old French pardoner, from Late Latin perdonare ("to give completely, forgive") — per- ("thoroughly") + donare ("to give"), the same root behind "donate."