avenge

play

verb \ ə-ˈvenj \

Definition of avenge

avenged; avenging

transitive verb

1 :to take vengeance for or on behalf of

vowed to avenge their murdered father

2 :to exact satisfaction for (a wrong) by punishing the wrongdoer

was determined to avenge the assault

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avenger

noun

See avenge defined for English-language learners

See avenge defined for kids

Examples of avenge in a Sentence

The brothers vowed to avenge the death of their father.
They vowed to avenge their father by capturing and punishing his killer.

Recent Examples of avenge from the Web

Friday Storyline: Bears look to avenge last year’s 17-0 loss to Colts.

— jason frakes, The Courier-Journal, "Week 2 preview/pick | Butler at DeSales," 24 Aug. 2017
The immediate goal is avenging a loss at home early in the season to Atlanta (8-9), which returns to KeyArena on Saturday.

— percy allen, The Seattle Times, "Storm looking to climb back to .500 before the All-Star break," 14 July 2017
The nearby Tyrells allied with them in the last episode, with the ruthless Lady Olenna Tyrell looking to avenge the death of Margaery (and her useless son Mace) at the hands of Cersei.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "How Will the Game of Thrones Be Won?," 14 July 2017
Jamaica 2, Curacao 0 The Reggae Boyz avenged their 2-1 loss to Curacao two weeks ago in the Caribbean Cup final, getting a pair of second-half goals admittedly against the run of play in the day’s first game.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Mexico beats El Salvador before big crowd at Q," 9 July 2017
Some also noted Drowning Pool was part of a subgenre of metal groups popular with troops that included bands such as Disturbed and Avenged Sevenfold.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "A beloved metal band played at Guantánamo — where its music was once used for torture," 8 July 2017
Also on the bill are Avenged Sevenfold and Danish band Volbeat. 7 p.m., Comerica Park, 2100 Woodward, Detroit.

— brian mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Big Gigs: Metallica, Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson," 6 July 2017
Ritter lost last year’s season opener 18-17 to Monrovia but avenged the loss in the Class 2A semistate with a 14-13 win.

— kyle neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, "High school football: 10 games to watch in Week 1 of the season," 26 June 2017
The Tigers (51-18) avenged a 13-1 loss to the Beavers (56-5) on Monday and became the first team to knock them off since Southern California on April 29.

— eric olson, star-telegram.com, "LSU forces rematch in College World Series by ending Oregon State’s win streak at 23," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'avenge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of avenge

Middle English, from Anglo-French avenger, from a- (from Latin ad-) + venger to avenge — more at vengeance

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First Known Use: 14th century

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avenge Synonyms

Synonyms

redress, requite, retaliate, revenge, venge [archaic], get even (for)

Related Words

castigate, fix, get, penalize, punish, scourge; chasten, chastise, correct, discipline; right; compensate, pay (back), recompense, repay

Near Antonyms

absolve, condone, excuse, forgive, pardon, remit

AVENGE Defined for English Language Learners

avenge

play

verb

Definition of avenge for English Language Learners

: to harm or punish someone who has harmed you or someone or something that you care about

AVENGE Defined for Kids

avenge

play

verb \ ə-ˈvenj \

Definition of avenge for Students

avenged; avenging

:to take revenge for

avenge a wrong

—

avenger

noun

Learn More about avenge

See words that rhyme with avenge Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for avenge Spanish Central: Translation of avenge Nglish: Translation of avenge for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of avenge for Arabic speakers

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avenge

Definition of avenge

avenger

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Examples of avenge in a Sentence

Recent Examples of avenge from the Web

Origin and Etymology of avenge

avenge Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to AVENGE

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AVENGE Defined for English Language Learners

avenge

Definition of avenge for English Language Learners

AVENGE Defined for Kids

avenge

Definition of avenge for Students

avenger

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