redeem
Americanverb (used with object)
-
redeems,
present (3rd person singular)
-
redeemed,
past participle, past
-
redeeming
present participle
-
to make up for; make amends for; offset (some fault, shortcoming, etc.).
His bravery redeemed his youthful idleness.
- Synonyms:
- compensate, counterbalance
-
to exchange (bonds, trading stamps, coupons, points, etc.) for money or goods.
I redeemed 25,000 points for a free night’s stay at the hotel.
This coupon can be redeemed at any grocery store.
-
to buy or pay off; clear by payment.
to redeem a mortgage.
-
to buy back, as after a tax sale or a mortgage foreclosure.
- Synonyms:
- repurchase, regain, reclaim
-
to recover (something pledged or mortgaged) by payment or other satisfaction.
to redeem a pawned watch.
- Synonyms:
- repurchase, regain, reclaim
-
to obtain the release or restoration of, such as from captivity, by paying a ransom.
-
Christianity. to deliver from sin and its consequences by means of a sacrifice offered for the sinner.
-
to convert (paper money) into coins.
-
to discharge or fulfill (a pledge, promise, etc.).
verb
-
to recover possession or ownership of by payment of a price or service; regain
-
to convert (bonds, shares, etc) into cash
-
to pay off (a promissory note, loan, etc)
-
to recover (something pledged, mortgaged, or pawned)
-
to convert (paper money) into bullion or specie
-
to fulfil (a promise, pledge, etc)
-
to exchange (trading stamps, coupons, etc) for goods
-
to reinstate in someone's estimation or good opinion; restore to favour
he redeemed himself by his altruistic action
-
to make amends for
-
to recover from captivity, esp by a money payment
-
Christianity (of Christ as Saviour) to free (mankind) from sin by his death on the Cross
Synonym Usage
Redeem, ransom both mean to buy back. Redeem is wider in its application than ransom, and means to buy back, regain possession of, or exchange for money, goods, etc.: to redeem one's property. To ransom is to redeem a person from captivity by paying a stipulated price, or to redeem from sin by sacrifice: to ransom a kidnapped child.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
redeemsimple
-
redeemssimple
-
have redeemedperfect
-
has redeemedperfect
-
am redeemingprogressive
-
are redeemingprogressive
-
is redeemingprogressive
-
have been redeemingperfect progressive
-
has been redeemingperfect progressive
Past
-
redeemedsimple
-
had redeemedperfect
-
was redeemingprogressive
-
were redeemingprogressive
-
had been redeemingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of redeem
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English redemen, from Middle French redimer, from Latin redimere, equivalent to red- red- + -imere, combining form of emere “to purchase” ( cf. emptor, ransom)
Explanation
If you redeem yourself, you make up for wrongs by doing something that makes you seem good again, like when after being irritable and snappy with your grandmother, you redeem yourself by bringing her flowers and apologizing. Redeem comes from the French rédimer, which means "to deliver," and which in turn comes from the Latin for "buy back." In Christianity you can be redeemed by renouncing your sins. Classic heroes fail and then redeem themselves with valiant acts. But redeem doesn't have to be religious or moral. When you turn in a glass bottle for recycling, you redeem it, just as you redeem your coupon for 20% off your next hamburger.
Vocabulary lists containing redeem
List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Hamilton
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
EatClub is another, giving walk-ins up to 50% off the whole bill at thousands of venues when they redeem an offer within its app.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Airlines are increasingly dependent on loyalty revenue, including what they get when people redeem points for flights and what they earn for marketing the cards to customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
I didn’t realize that optimizing my travel points meant picking up a new hobby: constantly comparing prices on travel portals, which is where you redeem your credit-card points for plane tickets, hotels and experiences.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Play as Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, while the game’s credits roll, zapping the names of developers with her laser vision as they scroll past to score extra points you can redeem in the SuperShop.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
Jon knew that other men accused of treason had been allowed to redeem their honor on the Wall in days past.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
And he’s racked up plenty of points in the process that he redeems for vacations, including a recent winter holiday trip to the Caribbean that would have otherwise cost him thousands of dollars.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026
Under these arrangements, companies or brokers buy forest land to preserve it, so that by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere the land redeems or "offsets" the planet-warming emissions produced by firms' other activities.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
Just when this thing seems dead, though, the movie picks up considerably, and the much-better second half nearly redeems it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
“Shadow Ticket’s” structure turns the current film adaptation of “Vineland” inside out — that would be “One Battle After Another,” whose thrilling middle more than redeems an only slightly off-key beginning and end.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
This flame that arises out of life, that redeems life from purposeless triviality, isn't life.
From Marriage by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Always check the small print as some freebies have exclusions and can't be redeemed with other discounts.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
In that way, I feel creatively redeemed on some level, just in my own journey between me, myself and I. But I feel ready to move on from the ‘Blade’ questions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
The lesson of the scripture is that everyone can be redeemed, can change, no matter what mistakes they have made.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
Twenty-five years after “Legally Blonde” introduced Elle Woods to the world, she’s raised several generations of women and redeemed a terrible stereotype long cemented into American popular culture.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
What redeemed the life of a rice farmer, however, was the nature of that work.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Another redeeming aspect of El Niño: Scientists know where it is likely to strike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Arnott said he suspects that “buybacks tend to ramp up when management is redeeming stock options, arguably to help facilitate the redemptions.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Gift card redemptions for fuel retailers are rising, the company said, and from January to March, Fetch saw a 20% lift in consumers redeeming fuel-related offers in the app.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
The character doesn’t need any redeeming qualities for this particular film to remain entertaining.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
“Kids are baby goats. They’re cute, and they have redeeming social value. You are definitely not kids.”
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
