pardon

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)Forgiveness for an offence.

   “[…] a step, that could not be taken with the least hope of ever obtaining pardon from or reconciliation with any of my friends; […]”

   “According to this logic, the pardons Balteira gained on her pilgrimage should have revirginated her, and would have if she had an 'iron box', or a firm dedication to her Christian faith, with which to guard her chastity.””

2. (countable, uncountable)An order that releases a convicted criminal without further punishment, prevents future punishment, or (in some jurisdictions) removes an offence from a person's criminal record, as if it had never been committed.

   “The President[…]shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”

   “NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from July^([sic – meaning January]) 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.”

   “But the president's most irreversible, almost God-like power is the authority granted to him under Article II, Section 2, of the United States Constitution, "to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses Against the United States. . . ." The power is absolute-even a serial killer could be pardoned-and utterly unreviewable. It cannot be rescinded by the next president. The president may grant a pardon before a trial, after a trial, or without a trial. Once granted, a pardon can never be taken away.”

   “A source familiar with Trump legal strategy says his team believes Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter has set a new precedent for presidents to issue expansive pardons to their children – and this could be something Trump chooses to do before he leaves office.”

verb

1. (transitive)To forgive (a person).

   “O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!”

   “I hope you will not find he has outstepped the truth more than may be pardoned, in consideration of the motive.”

   “Well! the King of France died pardoning & pitying all those who had tortured his Soul & Body, a great Pattern for us all.”

   “In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.”

2. (transitive)To refrain from exacting as a penalty.

   “I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.”

3. (transitive)To grant an official pardon for a crime.

   “The murderer, he recalled, had been tried and sentenced to imprisonment for life, but was pardoned by a merciful governor after serving a year of his sentence.”

   “In that situation, that memo would include a list of individuals that Biden might consider pardoning preemptively, the context about any prior legal precedent, and a discussion of the wide range of potential ramifications if the president does move forward with these pardons.”

   “President Donald Trump says he pardoned Trevor Milton, the CEO of now-defunct hydrogen and electric truck firm Nikola, in part because he believed Milton was persecuted for supporting Trump’s political ambitions.”

intj

1. Often used when someone does not understand what another person says.