as in to apologize
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Recent Examples of atone
Carolina will need Moehrig to atone for his San Francisco sin by smashing (legally) the Saints (3-10) on the road.
—
Mike Kaye
december 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Dec. 2025
The treaty was expanded in 1967 to apply universally, in part to atone for colonialism.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
Eventually, the man behind the curtain, the one we’d been told not to pay attention to, is forced to atone for his mass manipulation and leave town in a state of shame.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2025
Gary agreed to pay the Kinahans two hundred thousand euros to atone for various misdeeds, including a nonfatal shooting of a Kinahan associate.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atone
Mike Kaye
december 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Dec. 2025
The treaty was expanded in 1967 to apply universally, in part to atone for colonialism.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
Eventually, the man behind the curtain, the one we’d been told not to pay attention to, is forced to atone for his mass manipulation and leave town in a state of shame.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2025
Gary agreed to pay the Kinahans two hundred thousand euros to atone for various misdeeds, including a nonfatal shooting of a Kinahan associate.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atone
Verb
-
The show helps young viewers learn social skills like sharing, apologizing, and managing big feelings.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Against Purdue on Wednesday night, however, UCLA already led comfortably when Dugalić placed her palms on her head in disbelief when the Bruins parted with their challenge; the 6-foot-4 post player profusely apologized to her coach on the sidelines.—
Benjamin Royer,
Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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A couple of weeks later, Gillooly confessed and also agreed to testify that Harding approved the plan to attack Kerrigan.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
-
At that point, Koren confessed.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Radiation can also be used to palliate painful bone metastases, as well as chemotherapy.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
1 Oct. 2024
-
Senior-home avatars who are designed to palliate dementia patients in their darkest days.—
Longreads,
Longreads,
12 Apr. 2024
Verb
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That doesn’t excuse Blazin OG from following the city’s and state’s regulations, said Eric Escudero, spokesman for the Denver Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
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Senators voted down a debate for the hemp product prohibitions 19-14, with one member excused, and said no to a kratom debate on a vote of 20-13.—
John Hult,
States Newsroom,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The biography is presented as a clear-eyed and evenhanded examination of Reid’s complex legacy that neither whitewashes his methods nor diminishes his accomplishments.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Visitors and locals alike appreciate the Spanish Colonial Revival-style architecture, whitewashed adobe buildings, and red-tile roofs nestled at the foot of the Santa Ynez Mountains, bordering the Pacific Ocean.—
Chantelle Kincy,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Howard, who had served as a second lieutenant with the Ninety‑Second Division, 366th Infantry in France during World War I, accused President Truman of using the Cold War to justify a sweeping peacetime expansion of America’s global military footprint.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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And yet Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claims that the agents were justified despite evidence so clear that it can be found unedited on YouTube.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If margins continue to grow alongside revenue, the current low multiple becomes increasingly difficult to rationalize.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Each lie is rationalized as politics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atone. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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