pardon

Pronunciation: /ˈpɑːd(ə)n/

Translate pardon | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

Definition of pardon

noun

[mass noun]

the action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offence:he obtained pardon for his sins
[count noun] a cancellation of the legal consequences of an offence or conviction:he offered a full pardon to five convicted men
[count noun] Christian Church an indulgence, as widely sold in medieval Europe.

verb

[with object]

forgive or excuse (a person, error, or offence): I know Catherine will pardon me
release (an offender) from the legal consequences of an offence or conviction, and often implicitly from blame:he was pardoned for his treason
(be pardoned) used to indicate that someone is justified in doing or thinking a particular thing given the circumstances:one can be pardoned the suspicion that some of his errors were deliberate

exclamation

a request to a speaker to repeat something because one did not hear or understand it:‘Pardon?’ I said, cupping a hand to my ear

Phrases

I beg your pardon (or North American pardon me): used to express polite apology:I beg your pardon for intruding; used to indicate that one has not heard or understood something: I beg your pardon—I’m afraid I didn’t catch that; used to express one’s anger or indignation at what someone has just said: ‘I beg your pardon!,’ Beecham snapped
if you'll pardon the expression: used to apologize for having used or being about to use coarse or offensive expressions: four of those years I spend in a bloody prison camp—if you’ll pardon the expression
pardon me for ——: used to express in a sarcastic way one’s indignation at being criticized for doing something:‘Well, pardon me for breathing!’

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French pardun (noun), pardoner (verb), from medieval Latin perdonare 'concede, remit', from per- 'completely' + donare 'give'

pardon in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of pardon in the US English dictionary

Subscriber login

Library card login

Other

pardon

noun

verb

exclamation

Phrases

I beg your pardon (or North American pardon me)

if you'll pardon the expression

pardon me for ——

Origin:

pardon in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for pardon

Shop for an Oxford dictionary

Word of the day

monocular