avenge

verb

avenged; avenging

transitive verb

1
: to take vengeance for or on behalf of
vowed to avenge their murdered father
2
: to exact satisfaction for (a wrong) by punishing the wrongdoer
was determined to avenge the assault
avenger noun

Examples of avenge in a Sentence

The brothers vowed to avenge the death of their father. They vowed to avenge their father by capturing and punishing his killer.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
On a remote asteroid mining operation, a grieving Mechanist gets a new companion and has a chance to avenge herself against the Shaper assassin who killed her husband. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025 Could avenging that particular defeat be enough to bring about a bigger vibe shift? Liam Twomey, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025 Voices Calmes: The case that proves the U.S., under Trump, no longer stands for rule of law April 16, 2025 The ranks of Munger, Tolles used to include one Usha Vance, who resigned in the summer after her husband, JD, was chosen as Trump’s vice presidential running mate and avenging mini-me. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025 Episode 1 shows the gathering storm, even from the non-infected, as Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) starts hunting Joel to avenge the Firefly deaths. Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 13 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for avenge

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French avenger, from a- (from Latin ad-) + venger to avenge — more at vengeance

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of avenge was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Avenge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avenge. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

avenge

verb
avenged; avenging
: to take vengeance for (an action) or on behalf of (a person)
avenger noun

More from Merriam-Webster on avenge

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!