as in to compensate
to make up for (an offense) Yom Kippur is the holy day on which Jews are expected to expiate sins committed during the past year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expiate The Sisters have come a long way, but never strayed from their mission: to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2023 But now Epstein, 49, is wearing a different hat, and hoping to expiate his unintended sins against a sport that has been his lifelong passion. David Axelrod, CNN, 1 Apr. 2023 In the former category are Ani (Katy Sullivan), who lost her legs in a car accident, and her ex-husband Eddie (David Zayas), a good-natured, unemployed truck driver who insists on caring for Ani, possibly to expiate his guilt over cheating on her when they were married. Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Oct. 2022 Only the brilliant Richard Fleischer–Norman Wexler Mandingo in 1975 would expiate that consciousness. Armond White, National Review, 27 Apr. 2022 In 17th-century Austria, wooden pillars were erected for the self-mortifying convenience of the flagellants who roamed Europe, whipping themselves to expiate whatever sins had brought on the Black Death. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 15 Mar. 2021 Ridding oneself of guilt is often easier than overcoming shame, in part because our society offers many ways to expiate guilt-inducing offenses, including apologizing, paying fines, and serving jail time. Annette Kämmerer, Scientific American, 9 Aug. 2019 Anyone who’s familiar with the world of competitive cycling knows that, for some athletes, the sport is a means of escaping, or salving, or expiating, tremendous inner pain. Bill Gifford, Outside Online, 24 July 2019 Perhaps, but as Chief Justice John Roberts notes in his persuasive dissent, there’s no crisis that now compels the Court to expiate a long-ago mistake that Congress has the power to fix. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 21 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expiate
Verb
  • The water rushing along the road flutters The dress on the corpse of a woman, As the city descends long days and nights Into legend, which won’t compensate for its disasters.
    Czeslaw Milosz, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
  • But the law says that any workers who receive less than the $16.35 minimum wage must be compensated by the restaurants.
    Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Caesars Palace Online Casino’s standout feature is its exceptional rewards program, Caesars Rewards, which can be redeemed at any physical location or online from the app.
    Matthew Gover, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Stories like these can tap into a rescue fantasy, where love and care are seen as transformative forces capable of redeeming a troubled man.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Medical Debt and Credit Medical debt is a poor predictor of an individual's ability to repay a loan, the CFPB said.
    Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Pell Grants do not have to be repaid and are given to students who come from families with among the lowest incomes or ability to pay for college.
    Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • However, in a misguided attempt to correct his own errors, the real Sa-eon’s father and Kyu-jin’s husband, Paik Ui-yong (Yoo Sung-joo) forces Do-ki at gunpoint to let Sa-eon out.
    Kayti Burt, TIME, 4 Jan. 2025
  • Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions.
    New York Times, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025

Podcast

Thesaurus Entries Near expiate

Cite this Entry

“Expiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expiate. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on expiate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!