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
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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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The victim’s grandson, 17-year-old Jadynn Hamilton, was arrested and charged in connection with her death that evening after allegedly confessing to the crime, per the outlets.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
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Wuornos, a serial killer who confessed to murdering seven men in Florida from 1989 to 1999 before being sentenced to death for her crimes, was dating a woman named Tyria Moore at the time of her murder spree.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
31 Oct. 2025
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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While some on social media commended Curtis for having empathy toward someone with vastly different political views, others criticized her for appearing to excuse Kirk's controversial messaging, particularly his rejection of transgender people.—
Benjamin VanHoose,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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The fumble, of course, cannot be excused, but Henderson's development is essential to the Patriots fulfilling the best version of their offense.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
28 Oct. 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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This propensity for mental acrobatics, alongside his immense arrogance, was how Epstein rationalized his crimes to himself.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
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Even if annual fees on premium credit cards continue to balloon and airlines continue to raise the threshold for elite status, both industries are wagering that travelers will rationalize those costs if the lounge experience is exclusive enough.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Atone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atone. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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