redeem

1
2
as in to save
to free from captivity or punishment by paying a price the government has consistently refused to redeem hostages captured by terrorists

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in to forgive
to free from the penalties or consequences of sin the belief that sinners are redeemed by their faith in God

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
as in to rehabilitate
to make better in behavior or character the unfaithful husband made a determined effort to redeem himself in the eyes of his wife and children

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5
as in to compensate
to make up for (an offense) quickly redeemed the offending remark with a sincere and unconditional apology

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb redeem contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of redeem are deliver, ransom, reclaim, rescue, and save. While all these words mean "to set free from confinement or danger," redeem implies releasing from bondage or penalties by giving what is demanded or necessary.

job training designed to redeem school dropouts from chronic unemployment

When is deliver a more appropriate choice than redeem?

The words deliver and redeem can be used in similar contexts, but deliver implies release usually of a person from confinement, temptation, slavery, or suffering.

delivered his people from bondage

When can ransom be used instead of redeem?

Although the words ransom and redeem have much in common, ransom specifically applies to buying out of captivity.

tried to ransom the kidnap victim

When might reclaim be a better fit than redeem?

The synonyms reclaim and redeem are sometimes interchangeable, but reclaim suggests a bringing back to a former state or condition of someone or something abandoned or debased.

reclaimed long-abandoned farms

When would rescue be a good substitute for redeem?

While in some cases nearly identical to redeem, rescue implies freeing from imminent danger by prompt or vigorous action.

rescued the crew of a sinking ship

In what contexts can save take the place of redeem?

The words save and redeem are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, save may replace any of the foregoing terms; it may further imply a preserving or maintaining for usefulness or continued existence.

an operation that saved my life

Examples Sentences

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 redeem New York has a chance to redeem themselves tonight as the southpaw Carlos Rodón takes the hill against Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2024 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, 1 Nov. 2024 That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024 The deal is only good for new members, or for those whose memberships have lapsed more than 18 months, and memberships must be redeemed by January 31, 2025, to qualify for this promotion. Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for redeem 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for redeem
Verb
  • What does success look like for you—not defined by others, but by what genuinely fulfills and energizes you?
    Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 4 Nov. 2024
  • She is tasked to help fulfill BYD’s goal of generating nearly half of its sales abroad, up from 30% of its annual 301 billion yuan ($43 billion) revenue as of June 2024.
    Forbes Press Releases, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Adding poignancy, the narrative is interspersed with obituaries of some of the patients Shelly could not save, showing them as human beings and not just names on a medical chart.
    Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 10 Nov. 2024
  • Projects save automatically, and even after downloading multiple projects, the total install size remained around 4GB, a fraction of the 512GB microSD in my Switch.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • How to become a wildlife rehabilitator The process to legally take care of certain kinds of restricted wildlife varies by state, but virtually everyone who wants to help rehabilitate a squirrel or similar animal in the U.S. needs a permit from their state and possibly the federal government.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2024
  • So Gascón said what’s under review is the evidence that was never presented that could have changed the outcome, as well as considering, under California law, if the brothers are rehabilitated prisoners who are safe to reenter the community.
    Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Governments can also do much to compensate for an overall decline in the traditional working-age population.
    Vegard Skirbekk, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Trump, who quickly disavowed the individual, sought to compensate for controversy by taking the stage in Pittsburgh on Monday with the son of Puerto Rican baseball legend Roberto Clemente, in the city where his late father once played for the Pirates.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • They were taken by speedboats to the jungles of the southern Philippine province of Sulu, where they were held in harsh conditions before being mostly ransomed off using millions of dollars reportedly provided by then-Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi.
    Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
  • Nestor explains that the employee sold him out to some Haitians, who stole his product and now want to ransom it back to him.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 16 June 2024
Verb
  • Democrats are grieving and searching for answers after an election that saw their nemesis reclaim the presidency while his fellow Republicans gained control of the Senate and may hold the House as well.
    Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
  • The reality, though, is that even something as apparently low-tech as cooking a potato chip can require over half a dozen different machines to mix, roll, slice, reclaim scraps, fry, sort, flavor and package the finished product.
    Chris Turlica, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The city will repay the money using annual property taxes levied on all taxable property within the city.
    Stephanie Lam, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
  • If your first wager with ESPN BET settles as a loss, the sportsbook will repay that loss back to you in bonus bets.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • In essence, the Fed has satisfied its dual mandate of keeping inflation and unemployment low.
    Rob Wile, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Get The Recipe 16 of 25 Classic Pumpkin Pie Made with refrigerated pie dough, this richly spiced pie will satisfy the Thanksgiving purists.
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near redeem

Cite this Entry

“Redeem.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/redeem. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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