tr.v., -at·ed, -at·ing, -ates.
- To free from blame.
- To free from a responsibility, obligation, or task.
[Middle English exoneraten, from Latin exonerāre, exonerāt-, to free from a burden : ex-, ex- + onus, oner-, burden.]
exoneration ex·on'er·a'tion n.exonerative ex·on'er·a'tive adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
