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to amnesty

to amnesty

1 7.0
To officially pardon a group so they are not punished
  • verb
  • /ˈæmnəsti/
  • Formal
translation icon : amnistiar
  • After much debate, the leaders agreed to amnesty the activists arrested during the demonstrations.

Examples

  • Joe Biden continues to try to, I don't know, split the baby by offering amnesty to hundreds of thousands of people.

  • The government decided to amnesty the political prisoners who had been jailed for protesting.

  • The proposal to amnesty those charged with minor political offenses was met with mixed reactions.

Antonyms

821 1.0

Make someone suffer for doing something wrong

Surface Forms

amnesty infinitive
amnestied past
amnestied past participle
amnestying present participle
amnesties third person singular

Etymology

Amnesty as a verb comes from the same Greek parts a- 'not' and mnes- 'remember', meaning 'to forget'. To amnesty someone is to officially 'forget' their offence and not punish them.