# amnesty

/ˈæmnəsti/ (US) · /ˈæmnəsti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/amnesty
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. legal pardon

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a formal decision by a government to forgive a group of people for a crime, often a political one.

For teachers: a sovereign act of oblivion or a general pardon granted to a group for past offences, typically political in nature.

- The new government granted amnesty to all political prisoners after the revolution.
- The president issued a general amnesty for those involved in the uprising, seeking to foster national reconciliation after years of civil strife.

### 2. period to return items

noun · CEFR B2

a set time when you can return illegal or stolen items to the authorities without being punished.

For teachers: a designated period during which individuals may surrender illegal or prohibited items to authorities without fear of prosecution.

- The police are holding a knife amnesty this week to reduce street violence.
- During the two-week firearms amnesty, citizens handed in hundreds of unregistered weapons at local police stations without facing legal consequences.

### 3. to grant a pardon

verb · CEFR C2 · Formal

to officially forgive a group of people for a crime.

For teachers: to grant a formal pardon to a collective group of individuals. Transitive — takes a direct object.

- The state decided to amnesty the protesters to help keep the peace.
- The administration faced significant public backlash after deciding to amnesty several high-ranking officials accused of financial corruption.

## Examples

- The government granted amnesty to all political prisoners.
- The city announced a two-week amnesty for residents to return overdue library books without paying any fines.
- Following the civil war, the new administration declared a general amnesty in an effort to promote national reconciliation and encourage former rebels to reintegrate into society.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.