atoned; atoning
: to make amends : to provide or serve as reparation or compensation for something bad or unwelcome
—usually + for
He wanted to atone for his sins.
But I think that he has within him a capacity for love, and an unselfishness, which almost atones for his dishonesty.—
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope
Did you know?
Atone has its roots in the idea of reconciliation and harmony. It grew out of the Middle English phrase at on meaning “in harmony,” a phrase echoed in current expressions like “feeling at one with nature.” When atone joined modern English in the 16th century, it meant “to reconcile,” and suggested the restoration of a peaceful and harmonious state between people or groups. Today, atone specifically implies addressing the damage—or disharmony—caused by one’s own behavior.
Examples of atone in a Sentence
tried to atone for forgetting their anniversary by giving his wife a truly extravagant gift
Recent Examples on the Web
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
In post-Matrix mode, Reeves tries to launch another franchise in a DC Comics adaptation about a man who can see spirits on Earth and is doomed to atone for a suicide attempt by straddling the divide twixt Heaven and Hell.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Nichushkin atoned for his earlier mistake with the third goal of the period.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025
In the film's final scene, Mooney is swept up in a crowd of anti-Vietnam War protesters, forced to atone for his actions, in what is eventually revealed to be Downtown Cincinnati.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 Oct. 2025
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Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
In post-Matrix mode, Reeves tries to launch another franchise in a DC Comics adaptation about a man who can see spirits on Earth and is doomed to atone for a suicide attempt by straddling the divide twixt Heaven and Hell.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Nichushkin atoned for his earlier mistake with the third goal of the period.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025
In the film's final scene, Mooney is swept up in a crowd of anti-Vietnam War protesters, forced to atone for his actions, in what is eventually revealed to be Downtown Cincinnati.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atone
Cite this Entry
“Atone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atone. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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