as in to apologize
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Recent Examples of atone
This comes after Wisconsin players famously did 42 pushups after each spring practice to atone for having lost 42-10 to Iowa last year.
—
Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
After Knull’s fall, Hela is imprisoned in the An'Hay-Zhidi, where Dizang—Devil of the Eighth City—dares her to atone for her sins.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
To overcome this absence (and to atone for Sex and the City’s terrible track record on diversity), And Just Like That introduced a host of new characters — all women of color — to round out Carrie’s friend group.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 14 Aug. 2025
In each case, Reid felt the player was a good-hearted person who had done something terrible but was sincere in his desire to atone and grow.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atone
Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
After Knull’s fall, Hela is imprisoned in the An'Hay-Zhidi, where Dizang—Devil of the Eighth City—dares her to atone for her sins.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
To overcome this absence (and to atone for Sex and the City’s terrible track record on diversity), And Just Like That introduced a host of new characters — all women of color — to round out Carrie’s friend group.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 14 Aug. 2025
In each case, Reid felt the player was a good-hearted person who had done something terrible but was sincere in his desire to atone and grow.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atone
Verb
-
Calvin Tomkins’s Running Fence account in The New Yorker made no mention of me (for which Tomkins later apologized).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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After users online and public figures rushed to show solidarity to Miss Mexico, who many felt had been publicly humiliated, the Thai executive came out to apologize.—
Paula Soria,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Back in 2018, the politician confessed to hacking the official website of Labour peer Harriet Harman a decade earlier and changing the content to be pro-Conservative.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Gacy eventually confessed to killing dozens of young men and boys.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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 does not excuse, but that’s his personal [life].—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
9 Nov. 2025
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But missing Curry did not excuse the team’s lapses.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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To us, Nottoway’s transformation in the 1980s – from a brutal site of enslavement to a luxury resort and wedding venue – represented the Southern plantation tourist industry’s tendency to whitewash our past.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 Oct. 2025
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As America attempts to reclaim its pride by whitewashing its unflattering histories, Springsteen’s struggle to balance light and dark on these pointedly American recordings is tremendously poignant.—
Will Hermes,
Rolling Stone,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Critics also question whether demand will continue to grow at a fast enough pace to justify the investment.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
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Some investors are also skeptical whether future profit growth will continue to justify the enormous amounts of spending taking place.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Now, experts and officials say, the weight of those investments could finally rationalize the projects needed to keep that development going.—
Austin Corona,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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Even among some voters who were sincerely uncomfortable with Mamdani’s past rhetoric, many rationalized that an authentic Democrat with a pulse was still better than someone who might be manipulated from afar.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atone. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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