as in making amends for
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 atoning (for)
Verb
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The government agreed this year to settle an excessive force lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union by paying compensating several plaintiffs for their injuries.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
5 Oct. 2025 -
Citizens protested the use of the government subsidies, which went toward compensating the Kings and their opponents — the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins — for travel, accommodations and other financial losses.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If the script is a tad heavy-handed in making Clara seem almost indifferent to her mother’s suffering, Touzani is too generous a director not to allow the character some redeeming displays of conscience before the domestic drama plays out.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
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The OxyChem deal largely solves the debt problem, although Oxy won’t begin redeeming Berkshire’s preferred shares—and their 8% annual interest—until 2029.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That harm might range from never repaying loans to stealing their spouse’s and children’s identities to access more credit.—
Jeanne Sahadi,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
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For many borrowers, the thought of taking on new graduate debt is compounded by the reality of repaying existing loans.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The concealer, which is our favorite hack for dark circles, comes in 24 shades, including color-correcting options like green and pink.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
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By correcting those practices, there would be plenty of money to fairly pay staff, the union has asserted.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
29 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Atoning (for).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atoning%20%28for%29. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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