avenged; avenging
1
: to take vengeance for or on behalf of
vowed to avenge their murdered father
2
: to exact satisfaction for (a wrong) by punishing the wrongdoer
was determined to avenge the assault
avenger
noun
Examples of avenge in a Sentence
The brothers vowed to avenge the death of their father.
They vowed to avenge their father by capturing and punishing his killer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gamecocks top Caitlin Clark for national title South Carolina avenged its only loss of last season, beating Iowa 87-75 Sunday afternoon for the Gamecocks’ third national championship under Dawn Staley and topping a perfect 2023-24 season.
—
USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
In 1828, Andrew Jackson avenged his previous defeat to John Quincy Adams (JQA).
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
On Monday night in the Elite Eight, Clark and Iowa avenged last year’s loss, beating Reese and LSU 94-87 to advance to the Final Four for the second consecutive season.
—Jill Martin, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Many relatives believe that a son named Giuseppe drew the short straw and returned to avenge his mother by murdering her killers during a rabbit hunt and then disappeared.
—Jo Piazza, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
By defeating Grace, the Lions avenged an 86-67 loss to the Lancers in the Round of 16 at last year’s tournament and reached the first title game in school history.
—Randy Covitz, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024
Draven, who is also slain, returns from the dead to avenge her, wreaking havoc among their killers.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 14 Mar. 2024
Although Sweeney is more persuasive in the latter half of the film, when the trauma of pregnancy turns Cecilia into an avenging nun, the early sweetness and naïveté of her character is too cloying to track with her sudden personality shift.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
After a rival boss attempts to eliminate Stan and his team, Charlie is left on his own to avenge his friend.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024
USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
In 1828, Andrew Jackson avenged his previous defeat to John Quincy Adams (JQA).
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
On Monday night in the Elite Eight, Clark and Iowa avenged last year’s loss, beating Reese and LSU 94-87 to advance to the Final Four for the second consecutive season.
—Jill Martin, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Many relatives believe that a son named Giuseppe drew the short straw and returned to avenge his mother by murdering her killers during a rabbit hunt and then disappeared.
—Jo Piazza, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
By defeating Grace, the Lions avenged an 86-67 loss to the Lancers in the Round of 16 at last year’s tournament and reached the first title game in school history.
—Randy Covitz, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024
Draven, who is also slain, returns from the dead to avenge her, wreaking havoc among their killers.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 14 Mar. 2024
Although Sweeney is more persuasive in the latter half of the film, when the trauma of pregnancy turns Cecilia into an avenging nun, the early sweetness and naïveté of her character is too cloying to track with her sudden personality shift.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
After a rival boss attempts to eliminate Stan and his team, Charlie is left on his own to avenge his friend.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'avenge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing avenge
Dictionary Entries Near avenge
Cite this Entry
“Avenge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avenge. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
avenge
verb
avenged; avenging
: to take vengeance for (an action) or on behalf of (a person)
avenger
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on avenge
Nglish: Translation of avenge for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of avenge for Arabic Speakers
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