Word
exonerate
Phoneticsex·on·er·ate, stress on the second syllable
US/ɪɡˈzɑnɝˌeɪt/
UK/ɛɡzˈɒnəɹˌeɪt/
Definition
v. to prove that someone did not do something wrong and clear their name.
v. to officially declare someone free from blame, fault, or criminal charge, typically after examination of evidence.
Examples
“The court exonerates the man after new evidence appears.”
“After DNA tests proved his innocence, the judge exonerated the prisoner after twenty years in jail.”
“Although the official inquiry exonerated the captain of negligence, the loss of the ship continued to shadow his reputation for years.”
Examples
simple
“The court exonerates the man after new evidence appears.”
contextual
“After DNA tests proved his innocence, the judge exonerated the prisoner after twenty years in jail.”
complex
“Although the official inquiry exonerated the captain of negligence, the loss of the ship continued to shadow his reputation for years.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “exonerate” in context.
Verb
01. attempt to exonerate
“He attempted to exonerate his colleague by taking full responsibility.”
verb + to + verb
02. exonerate defendant
“The jury voted to exonerate the defendant on all counts of fraud.”
verb + noun
03. exonerate official
“The committee exonerated the official accused of misusing public funds.”
verb + noun
04. exonerate prisoner
“DNA testing finally exonerated the prisoner after twenty years.”
verb + noun
05. exonerate suspect
“Forensic results exonerated the suspect within a matter of days.”
verb + noun
06. fail to exonerate
“The initial investigation failed to exonerate any of the suspects.”
verb + to + verb
Adjective
07. completely exonerate
“The independent report completely exonerated the pilot of any error.”
adv + verb
Noun
08. exonerate from blame
“The inquiry exonerated the nurses from all blame for the error.”
verb + prep + noun
09. exonerate of charges
“The court exonerated him of charges relating to insider trading.”
verb + prep + noun
10. exonerate of wrongdoing
“An internal audit exonerated the company of any wrongdoing.”
verb + prep + noun
11. be formally exonerated of wrongdoing
“She was formally exonerated of wrongdoing by the ethics committee.”
12. completely exonerated on all counts
“After a long trial, the defendant was completely exonerated on all counts.”
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object, often followed by 'from' for the charge or blame.
Real-World Examples
“Victims' groups, however, have denounced the ruling as 'selective' justice that exonerates the former migration chief.” “In 2016 they would return 96 verdicts of “unlawful killing” and exonerate the fans of all blame.” “Within 24 hours, the court ruled that proving Montgomery had DNA on his body from someone other than Conahan would not exonerate him.” “In Friday’s social media post , Rocha suggested he had been exonerated by the ongoing proceedings.” Etymology
From Middle English exoneraten (attested in past participle exonerated), from Latin exonerātus, past perfect participle of exonerō (“to discharge, unload; to exonerate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Exonerō is from ex- (“out, from”) + onerō (“to burden, lade; to load”) further from onus (oner-) (“a burden, load”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), from Proto-Indo-European h₃énh₂os (“burden, load”), from h₃enh₂- (“to charge, onerate”). Compare French exonérer.
Learned borrowing from Latin exonerātus (more at etymology 1), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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