as in to apologize
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of atone
Research tells us that New Year’s resolutions, a popular noncontractual commitment, began over 3,000 years ago in Babylonian culture and shortly after in other cultures as a way, in general, to atone for questionable practices and/or debt.
—
Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Carolina will need Moehrig to atone for his San Francisco sin by smashing (legally) the Saints (3-10) on the road.
—Mike Kaye
december 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Dec. 2025
The treaty was expanded in 1967 to apply universally, in part to atone for colonialism.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for atone
Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Carolina will need Moehrig to atone for his San Francisco sin by smashing (legally) the Saints (3-10) on the road.
—Mike Kaye
december 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Dec. 2025
The treaty was expanded in 1967 to apply universally, in part to atone for colonialism.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for atone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atone
Verb
-
And, in Hayward, local officials apologized to those who had once lived in Russell City.—
Ara Rosenthal,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
After continuing through the neighborhood, the man came back to apologize.—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Theah Loudemia Russell, 19, confessed to suffocating Harvey and attempting to suffocate another child, according to murder and assault charges.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
-
So did confessing to a crime, oddly.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2026
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
-
None of this is to excuse Tina Peters’ conduct.—
Doug Friednash,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Thank the baseball gods for the Colorado Rockies, the Giants’ permanent buffer against being in last place and go-to excuse for why things could be worse.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Carmen López, Flores and other relatives say the local government is trying to whitewash the issue of the missing ahead of the global sporting event.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
In hushed towns like Locorotondo and Martina Franca, whitewashed lanes curve unexpectedly, church bells peal away the hours, and olive trees cast ever longer shadows onto dusty squares.—
Rob Crossan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Right now, Apple’s AirPods Max are leading the charge with a $120 price drop, which makes these excellent headphones a little easier to justify.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Both fatal shootings remain under investigation by the Office of the Inspector General to determine if the use of force was justified under Connecticut law.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Winning a title is the only way to justify such a trade — a trade that, on a surface level, is nearly impossible to rationalize for Bridges or roughly 434 other NBA players who don’t fall into the elite category of players who might vindicate trading lock, stock and barrel for them.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
If there were a Mensa society for rationalizing one’s own shitty behavior, Pippa would be its president.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Atone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atone. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
