# pardon

/ˈpɑɹdən/ (US) · /pˈɑːdən/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 2. general forgiveness

noun · CEFR B2

the act of forgiving someone for a mistake or for bad behaviour.

For teachers: the act of excusing a mistake, discourtesy, or minor offence in a social context.

- I beg your pardon for being so late to the dinner party.
- He sought her pardon for the insensitive remarks he had made during the heated debate the previous evening.

### 3. to forgive

verb · CEFR B2 · Formal

to officially or formally forgive someone for a crime or a mistake.

For teachers: to grant a formal remission of a penalty or to excuse a social transgression.

- The president decided to pardon the prisoner after new evidence was found.
- The governor was pressured to pardon the activist, whose imprisonment was seen by many as a violation of civil liberties.

### 4. asking to repeat

interjection · CEFR A2

a polite way to say 'What?' when you did not hear or understand something.

For teachers: a formulaic expression used to request that a speaker repeat their previous statement due to a lack of comprehension or audibility.

- Pardon? I didn't catch that last part because of the noise.
- Pardon? Could you please clarify the third point of the proposal, as the connection was momentarily unstable?

## Examples

- The president granted a pardon to the prisoner.
- After serving ten years of his sentence, the man received a full pardon when new evidence proved his innocence.
- The outgoing governor issued a series of controversial pardons during his final week in office, sparking a heated debate about the limits of executive power.

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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.