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Synonyms

make amends

Idioms  

  1. Compensate someone for a grievance or injury, as in They must make amends for the harm they've caused you. This expression was first recorded in 1330.

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.

Now she’s trying to make amends, including paying more than $6.6 million in restitution and forfeiture.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Diego Simeone's side host Espanyol later on, aiming to make amends after last weekend's 3-0 defeat by Rayo.

From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026

He apologized at a New Hampshire synagogue, and ahead of a second presidential bid four years later, he worked to make amends with the Jewish community.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

No promise of anything, especially Townsend's vow to make amends in the Calcutta Cup.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

So why don’t they try to make amends by asking them what’s what?

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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.