avenge
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.
avenge
to exact satisfaction for; vindicate: He will avenge his partner’s death.
Not to be confused with:
revenge – to exact punishment for a wrong in a resentful spirit: She was determined to get revenge for the insulting remark. [Avenge and revenge were formerly interchangeable, but now they convey diverse ideas. Avenge means inflicting punishment as an act of retributive justice: to avenge a murder by bringing the criminal to trial. Revenge is now defined as inflicting pain to retaliate for real or fancied wrongs: He will revenge himself upon the man who libeled him.]
a·venge
(ə-vĕnj′)tr.v. a·venged, a·veng·ing, a·veng·es
1. To inflict a punishment or penalty in return for; revenge: avenge a murder.
2. To take vengeance on behalf of: avenged their wronged parents.
[Middle English avengen, from Old French avengier : a-, to (from Latin ad-; see ad-) + vengier, to vindicate (from Latin vindicāre, to claim; see vindicate).]
a·veng′er n.
a·veng′ing·ly adv.
avenge
(əˈvɛndʒ)vb
(usually tr) to inflict a punishment in retaliation for (harm, injury, etc) done to (a person or persons); take revenge for or on behalf of: to avenge a crime; to avenge a murdered friend.
[C14: from Old French avengier, from vengier, from Latin vindicāre; see vengeance, vindicate]
aˈvenger n
aˈvengeress fem n
Usage: The use of avenge with a reflexive pronoun was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable: she avenged herself on the man who killed her daughter
a•venge
(əˈvɛndʒ)v.t. a•venged, a•veng•ing.
1. to take vengeance or exact satisfaction for: to avenge a murder.
2. to take vengeance on behalf of.
a•venge′ful, adj.
a•veng′er, n.
avenge
Past participle: avenged
Gerund: avenging
| Imperative |
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| avenge |
| avenge |
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Verb | 1. | avenge - take revenge for a perceived wrong; "He wants to avenge the murder of his brother" |
avenge
verb get revenge for, revenge, repay, retaliate for, take revenge for, hit back for, requite, pay (someone) back for, get even for (informal), even the score for, get your own back for, take vengeance for, take satisfaction for, pay (someone) back in his or her own coin for He spent five years avenging his daughter's death.
avenge
verbTranslations
يَأخُذ بِثأر
mstítpomstít
hævne
megbosszul
hefna
atkeršytikeršytikeršytojas
atriebt
pomstiť
öcünü almak
avenge
(əˈvendʒ) verb to take revenge for a wrong on behalf of someone else. He avenged his brother / his brother's death.
aˈvenger noun