avenger
Americannoun
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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.
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a person who takes revenge on behalf of someone else.
In the film, Zorro sees himself as the avenger of the innocent.
Etymology
Origin of avenger
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."
Vocabulary lists containing avenger
Words from "The Avengers"
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"Just Lather, That's All" and "The Woman Who Was Death"
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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.
Avenger class ships are capable of finding and destroying moored and seabed mines.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
The festival will also stage the world premiere of Ben Wheatley's new film Bulk and screen The Toxic Avenger, which stars Peter Dinklage and Elijah Wood.
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2025
But the reconstructed Vision sent to destroy Wanda flew away from the town after getting access to his previous memories as an Avenger.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2024
The First Avenger also will take part in a Saturday mainstage panel, “A Spotlight on Chris Evans,” that focuses on his acting career.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024
“It’s just the Flint Avenger now,” Jennifer said, and pushed ahead.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
