atone
verb (used without object)
to make amends or reparation, as for an offense or a crime, or for an offender (usually followed byfor ).
atoning
-
present participleof atone.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
The original idea was to fund the Sagrada Família through donations by people atoning for their sins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
We should say their names, tell their stories, and honor their legacies by atoning for the harms caused and ensuring that nothing like this ever happens again.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
Clinton Kelly and Stacy London return as its hosts, older, wiser and atoning for the tough love and scathing real talk they once doled out to style-challenged guests.
From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2026
Interspersed throughout the story are black-and-white “mystical visions,” as Anderson calls them, in which Korda sees himself in heaven atoning for his sins and even dialoguing with God.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025
As always, too, his thoughts turned quickly to find some way of atoning.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
