as in to apologize
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Recent Examples of atone
Yet this movie is great enough to atone.
—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2026
This should be more of a business trip for the youngster — though he could be motivated by wanting to atone for last season’s poor showing.
—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
However, the actual volumes added have been smaller than advertised as some countries physically struggle to increase, and others atone for earlier overproduction.
—
Grant Smith,
Fortune,
4 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for atone
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2026
This should be more of a business trip for the youngster — though he could be motivated by wanting to atone for last season’s poor showing.
—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
However, the actual volumes added have been smaller than advertised as some countries physically struggle to increase, and others atone for earlier overproduction.
—
Grant Smith,
Fortune,
4 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for atone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atone
Verb
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The company apologized for the error and paid you the full $1,782.
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But if another family arrivesa family joins the playground, Michael and Melissa Foster usually start apologizing in advance.
Verb
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Hernandez confessed to the crime, a confession his defense team argued was false and borne from mental illness.
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Chester Weger confessed to the murders of three women in 1960, but was only convicted of one.
Verb
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Radiation can also be used to palliate painful bone metastases, as well as chemotherapy.
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Senior-home avatars who are designed to palliate dementia patients in their darkest days.
Verb
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Plus, our governor issued a memo excusing fans from delays caused by celebrating.
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Mixing those up can lead to either punishing good judgment or excusing bad results.
Verb
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The current administration is engaged in an effort to bowdlerize American history, stripping away complexity in favor of easy myth and hagiography, not to mention the attempt to whitewash more recent events.
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The order to whitewash America’s historic sites of anything less than rosy about the nation’s past has led to some predictable embarrassments.
Verb
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This looser-fitting top sits right at the waistband and is made of a durable nylon and elastane blend that resists wear and tear (justifying the price point).
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Whatever happens for the remainder of this World Cup cannot be used to justify a system that has nothing to do with development, or kids playing sports.
Verb
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As the show began to wrap up, Goldberg aimed to try to tie in the book, asking Vance about rationalizing his Catholic faith with a hard-line stance on immigration.
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The pope has fiercely criticized joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran and rebuked world leaders for invoking religious language to rationalize war and voiced opposition to the administration’s immigration crackdown.
Cite this Entry
“Atone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atone. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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