atone

verb

ə-ˈtōn 

atoned; atoning

intransitive verb

: to make amends : to provide or serve as reparation or compensation for something bad or unwelcome

—usually + for

He wanted to atone for his sins.

But I think that he has within him a capacity for love, and an unselfishness, which almost atones for his dishonesty.

—Anthony Trollope

transitive verb

1

: to make reparation or supply satisfaction for : expiate

—used in the passive voice with for

a crime that must be atoned for

2

obsolete : reconcile

Did you know?

Atone has its roots in the idea of reconciliation and harmony. It grew out of the Middle English phrase at on meaning “in harmony,” a phrase echoed in current expressions like “feeling at one with nature.” When atone joined modern English in the 16th century, it meant “to reconcile,” and suggested the restoration of a peaceful and harmonious state between people or groups. Today, atone specifically implies addressing the damage—or disharmony—caused by one’s own behavior.

Synonyms

• expiate
• mend
• redeem

Examples of atone in a Sentence

tried to atone for forgetting their anniversary by giving his wife a truly extravagant gift

Recent Examples on the Web

The girls try to book a gig at the Macy’s Parade (as Peacock actually had the stars do, to the confusion of my parents watching at home) while also atoning for their past sins at the event (revealed in flashback). —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2024

The trip is an attempt to atone for the precariousness of Lu and Sy’s childhood, and when, in the admissions line, the kids light up at an advertisement for overpriced gumdrops, May can’t bear to deny them. —Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024

Unlike the male villager who hangs himself towards the movie’s halfway point, therefore condemning his spirit to eternal damnation in the pits of hell, the child-killer had a chance to atone for her sins before she was publicly executed for them — a suicide by proxy. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 June 2024

Follow along with live coverage of the Olympics James Turner, Corey Toole and Maurice Longbottom recorded tries for Australia, which is seeking to atone for a disappointing quarterfinal exit at the hands of Fiji in Tokyo three years ago. —David K. Li, NBC News, 25 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to become reconciled, from at on in harmony, from at + on one

First Known Use

1574, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

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Kids Definition

atone

verb

ə-ˈtōn 

atoned; atoning

: to do something to make up for a wrong that has been done