avenge

verb

ə-ˈvenj 

avenged; avenging

transitive verb

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

Synonyms

• revenge
• retaliate
• punish

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

Directed by Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus, the film centers on Irene, who attempts to avenge her daughter’s death by traveling through parallel universes to repeatedly kill her daughter’s murderer. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 June 2025

Concord-Carlisle avenged its 15-13 loss to the Ghosts on May 6. —Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 13 June 2025

Gi-jun dies, after having avenged his little brother, immune to the promises of power that swayed so many. —Kayti Burt, Time, 6 June 2025

Winning a regular season series the following season does not avenge a postseason loss. —Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French avenger, from a- (from Latin ad-) + venger to avenge — more at vengeance

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing avenge

• avenge oneself

Rhymes for avenge

• revenge

Kids Definition

avenge

verb

ə-ˈvenj 

avenged; avenging

: to take vengeance for (an action) or on behalf of (a person)

avenger noun