Definition of atone (for)next
as in to compensate
to make up for (an offense) tried to atone for forgetting their anniversary by giving his wife a truly extravagant gift

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atone (for)
Verb
  • With these collaborations, estates and relevant parties are always compensated.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Proposition 103 provides for an intervenor process in which consumer advocates can participate in the department’s review of rate increases and be compensated for their expenses.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • In the tech industry, the relentless will to win is perhaps the most redeeming quality of every operator.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Even as Schumer has redeemed himself within his caucus since then — leading them through a government shutdown last year and orchestrating huge wins in the election — many in the Democratic base are agitating for generational change.
    — Mary Clare Jalonick, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Calls the budget provision forcing municipalities to repay NCDOT hypocritical, pointing to roughly $40 million in design costs wiped out by the PAVE Act with no comparable clawback.
    — Josh Bergeron, Charlotte Observer, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Supporters said mortgage payments from loan recipients would be used to repay bond investors rather than taxpayer funds.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 10 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Small businesses also receive an opportunity to correct certain violations promptly and avoid penalties.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Military discipline depends on service members carrying out their responsibilities without having to calculate whether the person involved is too powerful to correct.
    — Anna Rahmanan, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • They are bound together not only by their shared grief, but also by the unspoken guilt and blame that Lux and Ella can only hope to expiate through each other.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Larded throughout this scene is that unmistakable suggestion, yet again, that the play exists because its playwright needed — if not to right a cosmic wrong — to create a place to house or expiate his grief.
    — Rhoda Feng, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Atone (for).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atone%20%28for%29. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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