avenger

American  

[uh-ven-jer] / əˈvɛn dʒər /

noun

1. a person who takes revenge for an offense.

   They feel that by engaging in terrorism they become the avengers of a great wrong done to their people.

2. a person who takes revenge on behalf of someone else.

   In the film, Zorro sees himself as the avenger of the innocent.

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Etymology

Origin of avenger

aveng(e) ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

A person who seeks revenge can be called an avenger. If you pay your brother back for eating all the cookies by finishing the last of his ice cream, you are an avenger of sorts. You may have heard of the comic book, TV, and movie superheroes called "The Avengers," but they're only one group of famous literary avengers. You could also call Shakespeare's Hamlet, who gets revenge for his father's death, an avenger. Most of the characters in the Greek classic "The Iliad" are avengers, too. The Old French root, avengier, means "to take revenge."

Example Sentences

The lengthy counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Ames was aided by a Russian spy, code-named AVENGER, who provided critical information that pointed toward Mr. Ames.

From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2017

This strange metamorphosis was finally completed, when Manton, with his own hands, ran up to the peak of the mainsail a bright scarlet flag with the single word "AVENGER" on it in large black letters.

From Gascoyne, The Sandal-Wood Trader A Tale of the Pacific by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)

"The AVENGER: A THE-O-RY" began Daisy again, clearing her throat.

From The Lodger by Lowndes, Marie Belloc