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
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For the Delfonts, who use a tape-recorder to capture this desperate plea, Leonora’s words serve as irrefutable proof that an academic career has failed to compensate for the absence of a husband and child.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026 -
Schools that struggled to make the grade on math and English swiftly cut back on other subjects to compensate.—
Yoni Appelbaum,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Winner may not substitute, assign, or transfer the Prize or redeem the Prize for cash, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute the Prize (or any portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
8 June 2026
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At a minimum, Delta credit card holders can redeem them at a rate of 1 cent each toward flights using Delta’s Pay With Miles feature.—
Sarah Hostetler,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
Verb
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The company kicked off a minimum €400 million ($461 million) euro term loan B and a minimum $500 million term loan B on Monday, a deal that will go toward repaying outstanding debt, according to a person familiar with the deal, who asked not to be named because the information is private.—
Abhinav Ramnarayan,
Bloomberg,
8 June 2026
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Myers also engaged in a Ponzi scheme by using new investors' funds to repay earlier investors, prosecutors said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The establishment later corrected the violation, according to a follow-up inspection.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 June 2026
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This article was corrected after it was published online on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, to correct the spelling of Anica Walls’ name, correct the number of the Assembly bill supported by SEIU and to delete reference to a parking waitlist, which existed prior to the return-to-work order.—
Evelyn Ronan,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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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
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The Sisters have come a long way, but never strayed from their mission: to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2023
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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 13 Jun. 2026.
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