From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpardonpar‧don1 /ˈpɑːdn $ ˈpɑːrdn/ ●●● S2 (also pardon me) interjection 1 REPEATused when you want someone to repeat something because you did not hear it ‘Hurry up Jonathan!’ ‘Pardon?’ ‘I said hurry up!’2 SORRY/APOLOGIZE British English used to say ‘sorry’ after you have made an impolite sound such as a burp SYN excuse meldoce_735_zpardonpardon2 ●●○ verb [transitive] 1 SCLto officially allow someone who has been found guilty of a crime to go free without being punished The two spies were pardoned yesterday by the president.2 [not in progressive] formalFORGIVE to forgive someone for behaving badly SYN forgivepardon somebody for something He could never pardon her for the things she had said.3 → somebody may be pardoned for doing something4 → pardon me5 → pardon me for interrupting/asking/saying6 → pardon my ignorance/rudeness etc7 → if you’ll pardon the expression8 → pardon my French9 → pardon me for breathing/living→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
pardon• Like most of his other supporters, the bishops associated with Mortimer were pardoned.• Another 110 were pardoned after their cases were reviewed by a special board.• Two defendants were pardoned before trial and one avoided trial because the Bush administration refused to release key documents.• Also on Jan. 1 Havel declared an amnesty which involved pardoning certain categories of short-term prisoners and reducing the sentences of others.• Siricus pardoned Fabiola her sins, after her second husband died.• The king at the request of Eleanor de Percy pardoned him and cancelled his abjuration.• I am so sorry about that, Mr Judd. Please pardon my daughter for her little outburst.• Ford immediately pardoned Nixon when he became President.• Pardon the mess -- I got home late last night and didn't have time to clean up.• I hope you'll pardon the state of the house - I haven't had time to clean it up.• Though they were pardoned three years later by President Carlos Menem, they are again under house arrest charged with kidnapping children.pardonpardon3 ●●○ noun [countable] 1 SCLPGan official order allowing someone who has been found guilty of a crime to go free without being punishedgrant/give somebody a pardon Tyler was convicted but was granted a royal pardon (=one given by a king or queen).2 → ask/beg somebody’s pardon (for something) → I beg your pardon at beg(4)Examples from the Corpus
pardon• It is the right of any convicted felon, great or small, to apply for a pardon.• A Justice Department official said there was no record of any formal request by Wynn for a pardon.• With the promise of a pardon, Wynn was persuaded to give evidence.• So why was a free pardon not granted?• There was then apparently an offer of pardon to others who submitted willingly to the royal authority without delay.• Dole demanded that Clinton rule out pardons for his business partners in the failed Whitewater land scheme.• She has even declared her unwillingness to accept a presidential pardon because it carries an implicit concession of guilt.• Sea battles and voyages and plunder and buried treasure and king's pardons and kidnapped wenches.royal pardon• He returned briefly to the Commonwealth's service, but retired when the Restoration became inevitable and procured a royal pardon.• Thomas had received a royal pardon in the previous April, just one week after Barnet, which implies a Neville connection.Origin pardon2 (1200-1300) Old French pardoner, from Late Latin perdonare “to give freely” 