atoning

present participle of atone

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for atoning
Verb
  • Of course, confessing to any involvement in Haleigh’s disappearance could also land Trinity in a lot more trouble.
    Dateline NBC, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2026
  • After posting a video earlier this week asking if anyone else couldn’t stop purchasing diamonds via TikTok, his comment section quickly flooded with more than a thousand replies from people across the country, all confessing their little secret.
    Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Target recently received backlash for 'offensive' Halloween costume This comes on the heels of Target apologizing in late August for a Halloween circus clown costume that critics said appeared to conjure Blackface and 19th-century minstrel shows.
    Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Body-camera video released after the July 6, 2024, shooting showed Massey ducking and apologizing moments before Grayson fired three shots inside the home.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Not that Miss Manners is excusing those who burst into dinner parties after the roast has been ruined — along with the other guests’ attitudes, most likely — and then blame it on traffic.
    Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
  • Part of that is the team’s fault, as Boone and Cashman have spent much of his career staunchly defending and excusing the former first-round pick’s poor play.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 July 2026
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
  • Japan’s Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum has been accused of whitewashing the country’s wartime past.
    George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 29 July 2026
Verb
  • Other extenuating circumstances beyond Goodman’s control also might be contributing to his reputation within the industry as a subpar defender.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • But, generally, only one property can be claimed, unless there are extenuating circumstances.
    Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Transparency without context can breed distrust, because disclosing a number is not the same as justifying it, and both expectations and the law have moved on.
    Aniela Unguresan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • That is why parents, and moms in particular, who historically have taken on most of the child care work and labor in the home—have trouble justifying rest.
    Parents, Parents, 28 Aug. 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

“Atoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atoning. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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