avenge
Americanverb
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
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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avengernoun
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avengefuladjective
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unavengedadjective
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unavengingadjective
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avenginglyadverb
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unavenginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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avengesimple
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avengessimple
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have avengedperfect
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has avengedperfect
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am avengingprogressive
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are avengingprogressive
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is avengingprogressive
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have been avengingperfect progressive
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has been avengingperfect progressive
Past
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avengedsimple
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had avengedperfect
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was avengingprogressive
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were avengingprogressive
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had been avengingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of avenge
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English avengen, from Old French avengier, equivalent to a- prefix meaning “toward, increase” ( see a- 5) + vengier, from Latin vindicāre; see vindicate
Explanation
If you avenge your father's death by killing his murderer (thereby taking revenge for the crime), there is a good chance you'll end up in jail, if you're caught. Many movie plots center on a character who seeks to avenge an injury of some kind. Whether it be Simba in "The Lion King," who wants to avenge his father's death, or Erin Brockovich, who seeks to avenge the suffering caused by a crooked and polluting California power company. One trick to remembering the word is that it's similar to the word revenge, which is the thing you're going for when you're seeking to avenge a bad deed. Watch for the venge in both words, and you'll know you're in the right department.
Vocabulary lists containing avenge
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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"The Cask of Amontillado"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
The young Lafayette seized the opportunity to avenge his father’s death and his country’s humiliation, arriving in America in 1777, at only 19 years old, as the patriot cause was at its nadir.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Morocco will be without key player Ismael Saibari as they try to avenge their defeat by France in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
He was beaten by McIlroy in a play-off last year, but put himself in position to avenge that defeat as McIlroy's stone-cold putter loosened his grip on the tournament.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
The Patriots got a second chance to avenge their earlier loss to Marquez via penalty kicks when semifinalists Marquez and South East were removed from the playoffs for using an ineligible player.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
In this way Fenrir will die, and so Vidar will avenge his father.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
Victory also marked a first over a world number one player for Fritz, 27, and avenges last year's Laver Cup defeat by Alcaraz, which sealed the title for Team Europe.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2025
There’s also the typical trend where, in matchups this tight, the results often even out, meaning Miami avenges that 2022 loss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2023
He avenges his London 2012 loss to South African rival Chad le Clos with a 200-meter butterfly victory and his 20th career gold.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 8, 2020
It was Season 2 when Renly died, and it’s at the end of Season 5 that Brienne avenges his death.
From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2015
He was a sort of Bradman, top of the battling avenges.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
They avenged last season's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series by sweeping the two-time defending champions.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
That's the same venue where last November, Benn avenged his only prior loss by taking a unanimous decision from England's Chris Eubank Jr.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
No, he says, a dutiful son avenged his father.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026
The impressive Simpson avenged the only loss of his career, when Williamson upset the odds to stop him in the 10th round in December.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
When Locri was destroyed by one of his legates, the Locrians were not avenged by him, nor was the arrogance of that legate corrected, all this arising from his easygoing nature.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Next, the roles were reversed: Senegalese wrestlers put on traditional burlap shorts to try their hand at Swiss wrestling, with the Swiss avenging their earlier defeat.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
When Alexander, not yet 30 years old, crossed the Hindu Kush, his conquest tipped from plunder, expansion and avenging Persian invasions into an epic and increasingly confused fantasy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The Highlanders ran the ball again and again in a 50-16 victory over North Hollywood on Thursday night, avenging a loss to the Huskies in last year’s City Section playoffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2025
The same, by the way, was true of Nat Turner and John Brown—bloodthirsty monsters for some, avenging angels for others.
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2024
That room was silent with the fury of avenging angels sharpening their radiance before they strike.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
