redeem
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make up for; make amends for; offset (some fault, shortcoming, etc.).
His bravery redeemed his youthful idleness.
- Synonyms:
- compensate, counterbalance
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to exchange (bonds, trading stamps, coupons, points, etc.) for money or goods.
I redeemed 25,000 points for a free night’s stay at the hotel.
This coupon can be redeemed at any grocery store.
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to buy or pay off; clear by payment.
to redeem a mortgage.
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to buy back, as after a tax sale or a mortgage foreclosure.
- Synonyms:
- repurchase, regain, reclaim
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to recover (something pledged or mortgaged) by payment or other satisfaction.
to redeem a pawned watch.
- Synonyms:
- repurchase, regain, reclaim
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to obtain the release or restoration of, such as from captivity, by paying a ransom.
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Christianity. to deliver from sin and its consequences by means of a sacrifice offered for the sinner.
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to convert (paper money) into coins.
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to discharge or fulfill (a pledge, promise, etc.).
verb
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to recover possession or ownership of by payment of a price or service; regain
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to convert (bonds, shares, etc) into cash
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to pay off (a promissory note, loan, etc)
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to recover (something pledged, mortgaged, or pawned)
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to convert (paper money) into bullion or specie
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to fulfil (a promise, pledge, etc)
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to exchange (trading stamps, coupons, etc) for goods
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to reinstate in someone's estimation or good opinion; restore to favour
he redeemed himself by his altruistic action
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to make amends for
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to recover from captivity, esp by a money payment
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Christianity (of Christ as Saviour) to free (mankind) from sin by his death on the Cross
Synonym Usage
Redeem, ransom both mean to buy back. Redeem is wider in its application than ransom, and means to buy back, regain possession of, or exchange for money, goods, etc.: to redeem one's property. To ransom is to redeem a person from captivity by paying a stipulated price, or to redeem from sin by sacrifice: to ransom a kidnapped child.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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redeemsimple
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redeemssimple
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have redeemedperfect
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has redeemedperfect
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am redeemingprogressive
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are redeemingprogressive
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is redeemingprogressive
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have been redeemingperfect progressive
-
has been redeemingperfect progressive
Past
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redeemedsimple
-
had redeemedperfect
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was redeemingprogressive
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were redeemingprogressive
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had been redeemingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of redeem
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English redemen, from Middle French redimer, from Latin redimere, equivalent to red- red- + -imere, combining form of emere “to purchase” ( cf. emptor, ransom)
Explanation
If you redeem yourself, you make up for wrongs by doing something that makes you seem good again, like when after being irritable and snappy with your grandmother, you redeem yourself by bringing her flowers and apologizing. Redeem comes from the French rédimer, which means "to deliver," and which in turn comes from the Latin for "buy back." In Christianity you can be redeemed by renouncing your sins. Classic heroes fail and then redeem themselves with valiant acts. But redeem doesn't have to be religious or moral. When you turn in a glass bottle for recycling, you redeem it, just as you redeem your coupon for 20% off your next hamburger.
Vocabulary lists containing redeem
List 1
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Hamilton
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"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If the merger agreement is terminated, Getty said it plans to redeem its 10.5% senior secured notes due 2030.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Play as Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, while the game’s credits roll, zapping the names of developers with her laser vision as they scroll past to score extra points you can redeem in the SuperShop.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
Investors asked Apollo Global Management’s flagship private-credit fund to redeem 17% of its shares.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Investors in BlackRock’s BLK 1.04%increase; green up pointing triangle flagship private-credit fund asked to redeem a collective 13.3% of the fund’s shares in the second quarter, an increase from 9.3% in the previous period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
I spelled my name in a wild rush of letters, trying desperately to redeem my paralyzing shyness.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
And so the evening concludes with an explosion of emotion that redeems its flaws, and sends us reeling, shaken, into the night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
And he’s racked up plenty of points in the process that he redeems for vacations, including a recent winter holiday trip to the Caribbean that would have otherwise cost him thousands of dollars.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026
Under these arrangements, companies or brokers buy forest land to preserve it, so that by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere the land redeems or "offsets" the planet-warming emissions produced by firms' other activities.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
What redeems the film is the humane attempt to reach beyond the myth to access the man.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2024
Moreover, he who gives in return also has his pleasure, inasmuch as, by giving a little more than he got, he redeems the slight humiliation of being compelled to seek aid.
From Human, All-Too-Human, Part II by Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm
The famous Buddhist Angulimala Sutta tells a story of a serial killer who is redeemed by the Buddha and becomes a righteous monk.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
Open Standard said Open USD can be minted and redeemed at no cost.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Online retailers selling the physical edition have stated that, as with other digital game codes, the one being offered for GTA 6 is single-use and will become invalid after it is redeemed.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Lily decides to ostracize herself before eventually being saved — and redeemed — by the rest of the toys, but by then, it’s too late.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Losher’s redeemed the stale bread from the dealers and sold it at half price to the poor.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Once Social Security’s benefit payments exceed payroll-tax revenue — an issue that is now worrying lawmakers, workers and retirees — the Social Security Administration starts redeeming those bonds.
From MarketWatch ● May 2, 2026
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was once the darling of foreign diplomats, with legions of supporters at home and a reputation for redeeming Myanmar from a history of iron-fisted martial rule.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
The character doesn’t need any redeeming qualities for this particular film to remain entertaining.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
But it doesn’t take much to detect the pride he has in his son, whose work may not reliably pay the bills but has brought public recognition and a sense of redeeming purpose.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026
Not all mythical beasts are friendly, of course, but even the hostile ones have certain amiable redeeming aspects.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
