English Reference
Idiom idiom

pardon me


Sorry; said as an apology.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

Pardon me, is this seat taken?

CONTEXTUAL

Pardon me, I did not mean to bump into you while I was rushing to catch the train.

COMPLEX

Pardon me for interrupting your conversation, but I believe you dropped this important document on the floor.


Related idioms2entries
  1. 01

    pardon my French

    To excuse the speaker's frankness of expression or profanity.

  2. 02

    thousand pardons

    A conventionally polite request to be pardoned or excused.

Last updated August 10, 2026