avenge
[ uh-venj ]
/ əˈvɛndʒ /
verb (used with object), a·venged, a·veng·ing.
to take vengeance or exact satisfaction for: to avenge a grave insult.
to take vengeance on behalf of: He avenged his brother.
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Nearby words
avedon, richard, aveiro, avel, avellaneda, avenaceous, avenge, avenger, avens, aventail, aventine, aventurine
Origin of avenge
Related forms
Synonym study
Avenge, revenge both imply to inflict pain or harm in return for pain or harm inflicted on oneself or those persons or causes to which one feels loyalty. The two words were formerly interchangeable, but have been differentiated until they now convey widely diverse ideas. Avenge is now restricted to inflicting punishment as an act of retributive justice or as a vindication of propriety: to avenge a murder by bringing the criminal to trial. Revenge implies inflicting pain or harm to retaliate for real or fancied wrongs; a reflexive pronoun is often used with this verb: Iago wished to revenge himself upon Othello.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for avenge
British Dictionary definitions for avenge
avenge
/ (əˈvɛndʒ) /
verb
(usually tr) to inflict a punishment in retaliation for (harm, injury, etc) done to (a person or persons); take revenge for or on behalf ofto avenge a crime; to avenge a murdered friend
Derived Formsavenger, noun
Word Origin for avenge
C14: from Old French avengier, from vengier, from Latin vindicāre; see vengeance, vindicate
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for avenge
avenge
late 14c., from Anglo-French avenger, Old French avengier, from a- "to" (see ad-) + vengier "take revenge" (Modern French venger), from Latin vindicare "to claim, avenge, punish" (see vindicate). Related: Avenged; avenging.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper