amnesty
Americannoun
plural
amnesties-
a general pardon for offenses, especially political offenses, against a government, often granted before any trial or conviction.
-
Law. an act of forgiveness for past offenses, especially to a class of persons as a whole.
-
a forgetting or overlooking of any past offense.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a general pardon, esp for offences against a government
-
a period during which a law is suspended to allow offenders to admit their crime without fear of prosecution
-
law a pardon granted by the Crown or Executive and effected by statute
verb
Usage
What does amnesty mean? Amnesty is a pardon for offenses against a government, especially before a trial or conviction for those offenses.Amnesty also means an overlooking of past offenses.In law, amnesty refers to an act of forgiveness for past offenses, often issued to a class of people.An amnesty is a pardon for criminal offenses. However, a pardon can only be given after someone is judged guilty. Amnesty can be given before a judgment is made.Amnesty often also refers to the process of allowing undocumented immigrants stay in the country rather than be deported.Sometimes, an amnesty is named after the thing being forgiven. For example, an amnesty that says as long as you give in your illegal guns to the government you won’t be prosecuted for illegal ownership would be called a gun amnesty or firearm amnesty.Example: The government offered an amnesty for anyone owning an illegal weapon if they handed the weapon in before the deadline.
Related Words
See pardon.
Etymology
Origin of amnesty
First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French amnestie, or directly from Latin amnēstia, from Greek amnēstía “oblivion,” equivalent to ámnēst(os) “forgetting” (from a- negative prefix + mnēs- “remember” + -tos verbal adjective suffix) + -ia noun suffix; a- 6, -y 3
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The junta frequently grants prison amnesties on public holidays, and Monday's raft of notices also announced the release of more than 2,800 other prisoners and 10 jailed foreign nationals -- without detailing their offences.
From Barron's
Venezuela’s National Assembly passed what it calls “the amnesty law” on Feb. 19.
Since Maduro was removed from power, Rodriguez -- his onetime vice president -- has worked closely with the United States, and passed an amnesty law to help accelerate the thaw in Venezuela's ties with the broader West.
From Barron's
Gil stressed that his country was "working toward a process of acknowledging past wounds, forgiveness and reconciliation," referring to the amnesty law.
From Barron's
Some might scream this amounts to amnesty, but with America’s aging population, we’re going to need many more foreign workers to wash dishes, hang drywall and pick strawberries.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
