as in to compensate
to make up for (an offense) Yom Kippur is the holy day on which Jews are expected to expiate sins committed during the past year

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expiate The Sisters have come a long way, but never strayed from their mission: to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2023 But now Epstein, 49, is wearing a different hat, and hoping to expiate his unintended sins against a sport that has been his lifelong passion. David Axelrod, CNN, 1 Apr. 2023 In the former category are Ani (Katy Sullivan), who lost her legs in a car accident, and her ex-husband Eddie (David Zayas), a good-natured, unemployed truck driver who insists on caring for Ani, possibly to expiate his guilt over cheating on her when they were married. Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Oct. 2022 Only the brilliant Richard Fleischer–Norman Wexler Mandingo in 1975 would expiate that consciousness. Armond White, National Review, 27 Apr. 2022 In 17th-century Austria, wooden pillars were erected for the self-mortifying convenience of the flagellants who roamed Europe, whipping themselves to expiate whatever sins had brought on the Black Death. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 15 Mar. 2021 Ridding oneself of guilt is often easier than overcoming shame, in part because our society offers many ways to expiate guilt-inducing offenses, including apologizing, paying fines, and serving jail time. Annette Kämmerer, Scientific American, 9 Aug. 2019 Anyone who’s familiar with the world of competitive cycling knows that, for some athletes, the sport is a means of escaping, or salving, or expiating, tremendous inner pain. Bill Gifford, Outside Online, 24 July 2019 Perhaps, but as Chief Justice John Roberts notes in his persuasive dissent, there’s no crisis that now compels the Court to expiate a long-ago mistake that Congress has the power to fix. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 21 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expiate
Verb
  • The Department of Transportation proposed new rules Thursday requiring airlines to compensate passengers with up to $775 for significant flight delays or cancellations where the airline is at fault.
    Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
  • The bank is also used to pay Russian soldiers and compensate families of soldiers killed in the line of duty, the department said.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Here’s how to claim your lottery prize All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599.
    Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 6 Dec. 2024
  • This promotion is available for stays from March 1 - July 31, 2025 and can be redeemed using the code E4000 (or code M96 for Bonvoy members) at checkout.
    Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • But if they are consolidated into a Direct consolidation loan, that Direct consolidation loan can be repaid under ICR.
    Adam S. Minsky, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Every shipment, every transaction, every license, every insurance policy, every fee—thousands of variables—had to be accounted for, across all conceivable scenarios, until the sale was complete, the money collected and transacted, and everyone repaid.
    Josh Condon, Robb Report, 8 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • If the previous sentence weren’t true, then always forward-looking U.S. (and global) stock markets would have already corrected in a way that would that would make 1929, 1987 and 2008 seem tame by comparison.
    John Tamny, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Editor’s note: This story was updated Dec. 6, the same day as publication, to correct the spelling of Dorothée Chaoui-Derieux’s name.
    Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Expiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expiate. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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