avenge

verb

ə-ˈvenj 

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

avenger noun

Synonyms of avenge

• revenge
• retaliate
• punish

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 on the Web

Smith positions the avenging goddess in a horror-show hall of mirrors, with a closed-circuit video feed focused on Vindicatrix’s upraised arm gesturing in oath. —Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026

After encountering an alien girl named Ruthye, who is hellbent on avenging the death of her father, Supergirl joins the fight for justice. —Brent Lang, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026

But his main motivation was to fictionally avenge the death of his real-life brother from the painkiller Oxycontin. —Molly Lambert, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026

The Bruins avenged their only loss of the season and redeemed themselves after last season’s lopsided Final Four loss to Connecticut. —Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing avenge

• avenge oneself

Rhymes for avenge

• revenge

Kids Definition

avenge

verb

ə-ˈvenj 

avenged; avenging

: to take vengeance for (an action) or on behalf of (a person)

avenger noun