1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

atone

verb

Definition of atonenext
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 Black American Catholics, activists and scholars have long called for the Holy See to atone for its role in the colonial-era trade in human beings, beyond generic apologies for the involvement of individual Christians. — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026 Edmundson, who’d lost MacKinnon on his first goal, atoned by receiving Kempe’s pass in the high slot and flicking a shot that clipped Wedgewood on its way into the net. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026 And that is something that needs to be redeemed and addressed and atoned for. — Lindsay Kimble, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026 Husayn’s Kufan supporters acknowledged their failure to aid the imam and pledged to publicly atone. — Mary Thurlkill, The Conversation, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for atone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atone
  1. apologize
  2. confess
  3. palliate
  4. excuse
  5. whitewash
  6. justify
  7. rationalize
Verb
  • After initially resisting calls to disavow the material, Irving later apologized, and the Brooklyn Nets suspended him for at least five games without pay.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Andy Cohen apologized to Julia Stiles during Wednesday night’s Watch What Happens Live for his comments about her moves in Save the Last Dance, naming himself the Jackhole of the Day.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of apologize
Verb
  • But the novel makes its intentions clear in its opening lines, when the narrator reports having confessed an interest in writing M’s autobiography and M asking if the story would be entirely made up.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 15 Sep. 2026
  • He was fatally stabbed, and Davis later confessed to cutting him.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of confess
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
Definition of palliate
Verb
  • Senior quarterback Dante Moore was nowhere to be found during media availability following the Ducks' loss on the road, which was noticed by every reporter in the room, but according to head coach Dan Lanning, his absence was excused.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Choose a seat far from your brother-in-law or excuse yourself to help with the dishes.
    — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of excuse
Verb
  • To freshmen from then to now, whitewashing the rock(s) before the season has tended to create a sense of belonging and ownership.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Polished stone-tile floors, whitewashed walls, and spacious bathrooms are common elements of all the rooms.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of whitewash
Verb
  • The Italian Interior Ministry used that same threat to justify extending the border checks Tuesday.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
  • First-act setups extend through the majority of the 108-minute runtime, constituting a plotless meander without the aesthetic allure to justify such a languid journey.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of justify
Verb
  • These converts, according to their chain of thought, rationalized their cheating in much the same way human cheaters do.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The company also expects to rationalize and consolidate systems and processes, while eliminating overlapping corporate and centralized resources.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of rationalize

Browse Nearby Words

at once
atone
atoned
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Atone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atone. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All