am·nes·ty
ˈam-nə-stē 
plural amnesties
: the act of an authority (such as a government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals
The government granted amnesty to all political prisoners.
a general amnesty
amnestied; amnestying
: to grant amnesty to : to pardon (someone) officially often before a trial or conviction
Only last Thursday Mr. Clinton told the U.S. that the generals were responsible for the killings … Now, they are to be amnestied and allowed to remain in Haiti if they so wish.—
A. M. Rosenthal
A. M. RosenthalTraditionally, the incoming president amnesties all outstanding driving offences: during the months before an election people park even more selfishly than usual and drive at unbelievable speeds, knowing if they're caught, they'll be amnestied.—Richard Horton
Richard HortonSynonyms
Examples of amnesty in a Sentence
Noun
The government gave amnesty to all political prisoners.
Illegal immigrants who came into the country before 1982 were granted amnesty.
Recent Examples on the WebJohn Bacon, USA TODAY, 6 May 2024
Outside the event, about 20 UCLA faculty members protested, calling for amnesty for pro-Palestinian students arrested on campus recently.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
The Biden administration’s utterly lawless record and ad hoc amnesties, work-permit giveaways, and special-status awards to Venezuelans, Cubans, and Nicaraguans mean that appeals to the rules will not work.
—The Editors, National Review, 3 May 2024
Student protesters at Columbia University had occupied Hamilton Hall just after midnight on Tuesday, following a breakdown in negotiations with the administration over divestment and amnesty for disciplined students.
—Sanya Mansoor, TIME, 1 May 2024
The sentence by the Islamic Republic Revolution Court of Isfahan contradicted an Iranian Supreme Court ruling that said Salehi's case qualified for amnesty, Raesian said.
—Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Bettmann Archive Facing global criticism for the violence in 1919, British officials in London instructed the central government in Delhi to investigate the actions of its British officers against Indians while simultaneously guaranteeing amnesty for all imperial officers.
—TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
Controversial amnesty programs began allowing Boko Haram members to reenter society after serving time at rehabilitation camps.
—Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
McHenry opposes any form of amnesty, according to his website.
—Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 19 Feb. 2024
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 7 May 2024
In 1986, a Republican president—Ronald Reagan—signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act, amnestying undocumented people, expanding guest worker programs, securing the border, and enhancing requirements for employers.
—TIME, 9 Jan. 2024
People on my side of the aisle are focused on there’s a huge immigration bill tucked into this reconciliation bill that would amnesty about eight million people and no one's talking about it.
—NBC News, 19 Sep. 2021
Noun
More recently, amnesty for students and professors involved in the protests has become an issue.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 6 May 2024
Outside the event, about 20 UCLA faculty members protested, calling for amnesty for pro-Palestinian students arrested on campus recently.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
The Biden administration’s utterly lawless record and ad hoc amnesties, work-permit giveaways, and special-status awards to Venezuelans, Cubans, and Nicaraguans mean that appeals to the rules will not work.
—The Editors, National Review, 3 May 2024
Student protesters at Columbia University had occupied Hamilton Hall just after midnight on Tuesday, following a breakdown in negotiations with the administration over divestment and amnesty for disciplined students.
—Sanya Mansoor, TIME, 1 May 2024
The sentence by the Islamic Republic Revolution Court of Isfahan contradicted an Iranian Supreme Court ruling that said Salehi's case qualified for amnesty, Raesian said.
—Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2024
Bettmann Archive Facing global criticism for the violence in 1919, British officials in London instructed the central government in Delhi to investigate the actions of its British officers against Indians while simultaneously guaranteeing amnesty for all imperial officers.
—TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
Controversial amnesty programs began allowing Boko Haram members to reenter society after serving time at rehabilitation camps.
—Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
McHenry opposes any form of amnesty, according to his website.
—Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 19 Feb. 2024
Verb
In the agreement, the university provided progress reports on six requests from student protesters, ranging from divestment to amnesty.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 7 May 2024
In 1986, a Republican president—Ronald Reagan—signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act, amnestying undocumented people, expanding guest worker programs, securing the border, and enhancing requirements for employers.
—TIME, 9 Jan. 2024
People on my side of the aisle are focused on there’s a huge immigration bill tucked into this reconciliation bill that would amnesty about eight million people and no one's talking about it.
—NBC News, 19 Sep. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amnesty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to amnesty
The Words of the Week - Feb. 17
Dictionary lookups from the worlds of railroads and automobiles, law, and from newspaper style guides
Trending: Amnesty
The word used to mean 'forgotten', but has since changed to mean 'the act by which pardon is granted'
Trending: Amnesty
Obama says his new immigration plan is not amnesty ...
Dictionary Entries Near amnesty
Cite this Entry
“Amnesty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amnesty. Accessed 17 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
amnesty
noun
am·nes·ty
ˈam-nə-stē
plural amnesties
: the granting of pardon (as by a government) to a large number of persons
Legal Definition
amnesty
noun
am·nes·ty
ˈam-nəs-tē
plural amnesties
: an act of clemency by an authority (as a government) by which pardon is granted especially to a group of individuals
illegal-alien farm workers seeking amnesty—National Law Journal
National Law JournalLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share