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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In 2021, scientists at the Kea Animal Minds Lab at the University of Auckland studied Bruce and other non-disabled kea and found that Bruce exhibited unusual preening behavior to compensate for his missing upper beak.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
20 Apr. 2026 -
Half of the money for wolf conflicts would go toward deterrents; the remainder would compensate ranchers for their losses.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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These points can be redeemed for dollars off future in-store purchases at Winn-Dixie.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2026
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Customers without enough points for a round-trip ticket still can redeem their travel rewards for one leg of a journey and free up cash for other travel expenses.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Still, be confident in your ability to repay the loan over the full repayment period to avoid the threat of foreclosure.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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That appropriation would be to repay bonds issued for the stadium — and failure to pay off those bonds each year would put the state at risk of defaulting and plummeting its credit rating.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This version corrects the two other alternates were Keith Mitchell and Taylor Moore.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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This story has been updated to correct Kristofer Johnson’s title.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2026.
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