avenge

verb

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

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
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.
The win for Cruz avenged the only loss of his career at that point, a submission defeat to Faber in 2007. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 Phoenix Suns end Lakers’ unbeaten start The Phoenix Suns ended the Los Angeles Lakers’ unbeaten start to the season and avenged their opening night defeat with a 109-105 home win. Matias Grez, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024 His dead father, who keeps popping up in spirit to pester him, wants Juicy to kill his uncle to avenge his death. Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 25 Oct. 2024 Israel and Iran traded fire directly for the first time in April, and Iran has threatened to avenge the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an explosion in Tehran in July. Josef Federman and Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for avenge 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of avenge was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near avenge

Cite this Entry

“Avenge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avenge. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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