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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If the department has a plan to increase services — say, by ensuring at least one hospital in a region is equipped to deliver babies — that would be a different story, but the state would have to have some way of compensating hospitals taking on unprofitable services, Stansbury said.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
11 Jan. 2026 -
The Bureau of Prisons ultimately settled the lawsuit, compensating almost 1,600 inmates with a total of approximately $10 million for enduring frigid and inhumane conditions because of the power outage.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Abel got his first taste of business at a young age, collecting, cleaning, and redeeming empty soda bottles for just 5 cents a piece.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Jan. 2026
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Youthful exuberance remains one of their most redeeming traits.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The plan outlined the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, repaying the local portion to the federal government over the span of 50 years.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
31 Dec. 2025
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The letter made no mention of repaying the city its $900,000.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Start your very own love affair with Outcrease Retinol Trifecta Serum by grabbing a bottle today, and check out some of Dermelect’s other skin correcting serums and facial oils below.—
Michelle Baricevic,
InStyle,
14 Jan. 2026
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Identifying and correcting errors in federal databases can be difficult, and those errors can have harmful consequences.—
Barbara McQuade,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
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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 17 Jan. 2026.
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