- (v.t.) To set free or release, as from some obligation, debt or responsibility or from the consequences of guilt or such ties as it would be sin or guilt to violate; to pronounce free; as, to absolve a subject from his allegiance; to absolve an offender, which amounts to an acquittal and remission of his punishment.
- (v.t.) To free from a penalty; to pardon; to remit (a sin); -- said of the sin or guilt.
- (v.t.) To finish; to accomplish.
- (v.t.) To resolve or explain.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). absolve. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/absolve/definitions/1969912 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "absolve" http://smartdefine.org/absolve/definitions/1969912 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, absolve, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/absolve/definitions/1969912>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "absolve" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/absolve/definitions/1969912> |