exonerate
verb /ɪɡˈzɒnəreɪt/
/ɪɡˈzɑːnəreɪt/
(formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they exonerate | /ɪɡˈzɒnəreɪt/ /ɪɡˈzɑːnəreɪt/ |
| he / she / it exonerates | /ɪɡˈzɒnəreɪts/ /ɪɡˈzɑːnəreɪts/ |
| past simple exonerated | /ɪɡˈzɒnəreɪtɪd/ /ɪɡˈzɑːnəreɪtɪd/ |
| past participle exonerated | /ɪɡˈzɒnəreɪtɪd/ /ɪɡˈzɑːnəreɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form exonerating | /ɪɡˈzɒnəreɪtɪŋ/ /ɪɡˈzɑːnəreɪtɪŋ/ |
- to officially state that somebody is not responsible for something that they have been blamed for
- exonerate somebody (from something) The police report exonerated Lewis from all charges of corruption.
- The president cannot be exonerated from responsibility for this problem.
- exonerate somebody of something The report exonerates the president of any knowledge of the arms deal.
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin exonerat- ‘freed from a burden’, from the verb exonerare, from ex- ‘from’ + onus, oner- ‘a burden’.