acquit

verb

1. (transitive)To declare or find innocent or not guilty.

   “[W]hen God ſaith of himſelfe, that he is one who acquiting will not acquite the wicked, his meaning is, that whatſoeuer may be ſuppoſed becauſe of his patience, yet he will not fully and finally diſcharge thoſe who goe on ſtill in their vngodly courſes, and preſume vpon his Mercy, without repentance.”

   “But gently could his passion entertaine, / Though she Love's princesse, he a lowly swaine. / First of his bold intrusion she acquites him, / Then to her service (happy Boy!) admits him, / And, like another Love, with bow and quiver fits him.”

   “But I do not pretend that my protestations should acquit me: I rest my innocence on a plain and simple explanation of the facts which have been adduced against me; and I hope the character I have always borne will incline my judges to a favourable interpretation, where any circumstance appears doubtful or suspicious.”

   “If he [Francis Bacon] was convicted, it was because it was impossible to acquit him without offering the grossest outrage to justice and common sense.”

   “The new accusation brought by Urban [Pope Urban IV] against Manfred of murdering his sister-in-law's embassador—it may be observed that, tacitly, he acquits him of parricide, fratricide, and nepoticide—requires a little explanation.”

2. (transitive)To discharge (for example, a claim or debt); to clear off, to pay off; to fulfil.

   “Although it pleaſed you this other night (occasion by me unhappily miniſtred) to intertaine time with an ordinarie profeſſion of love, yet (maſter Rinaldo) you doe both me and your ſelfe great injurie to continue your needleſſe labour with ſuch importunancie to me. […] Thus muche (being your firſte attempt) I thought it good to anſwere, leaſt you ſhould think with needleſſe niceneſſe I acquited your courteſies.”

   “Midst foes (as champion of the faith) he ment / That palme or cypress should his paines acquite; […]”

   “[Et ſi feoffati illi warrantum, vel medium not habeant.] That is to say, if they have neither one to warrant by ſpeciall graunt, nor any meſne by tenure which ought to acquit them, tunc omnes illi feoffati pro portione ſua contribuant, &c.”

   “We see young men who owe us a new world, so readily and lavishly they promise, but they never acquit the debt; they die young and dodge the account: or if they live, they lose themselves in the crowd.”

3. (transitive)to discharge, release, or set free from a burden, duty, liability, or obligation, or from an accusation or charge.

   “The jury acquitted the prisoner of the charge.”

   “Jerome. Object to Antonio? I have said it; his poverty, can you acquit him of that? / Ferd[inand]. Sir, I own he is not over rich; but he is of as ancient and honourable a family, as any in the kingdom.”

   “This, madam, is a faithful narrative of every event in which we have been concerned together; and if you do not absolutely reject it as false, you will, I hope, acquit me henceforth of cruelty towards Mr. Wickham.”

4. (reflexive)To bear or conduct oneself; to perform one's part.

   “The soldier acquitted herself well in battle.”

   “The orator acquitted himself very poorly.”

   “Though this was one of the firſt mercantile tranſactions of my life, yet I had no doubt about acquitting myſelf with reputation.”

   “[Paddy] McNair also acquitted himself well after [Marcos] Rojo was injured sliding into a challenge with Martín Demichelis […]”

5. (reflexive)To clear oneself.

   “God forbid any Malice ſhould preuayle, / That faultleſſe may condemne a Noble man: / Pray God he may acquit him of ſuſpicion.”

6. (archaic, form-of, participle, past, transitive)past participle of acquit.

   “Well I am glad I am ſo acquit of this tinder Boy.^([sic – meaning Box]) / His ſtealth was too open, his filching was like / An vnskilfull ſinger, he kept not time.”

7. (obsolete, transitive)To release, to rescue, to set free.

   “But be of cheare, and comfort to you take: / For till I haue acquitt your captiue knight, / Aſſure your ſelfe, I will you not forſake.”

8. (obsolete, rare, transitive)To pay for; to atone for.

   “For me I am the miſtreſſe of my fate, / And with my treſpaſſe neuer will diſpence, / Till life to death acquit my forſt offence.”