verb
pardons; pardoned; pardoning
[+ obj] to officially say that someone who is guilty of a crime will be allowed to go free and will not be punished
to say that someone should not be blamed for thinking, doing, or saying something - usually used as (be) pardoned for
to officially say that a person, country, etc., does not have to pay (a debt)
used to be polite in asking questions or saying things that could be considered rude
pardon me
used as a polite way of starting to say something when you are interrupting someone, trying to get someone's attention, or disagreeing with someone
also pardon - used as a polite apology for a minor fault or offense (such as laughing, coughing, or bumping into someone)
also pardon - used as a polite way of asking someone to repeat something spoken
pardon my French
informal + humorous - used to apologize for using offensive language
pardon the expression
noun
plural -dons
[count] an act of officially saying that someone who was judged to be guilty of a crime will be allowed to go free and will not be punished
formal :forgiveness for something