Adjacent Words

Atone definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ATO'NE, adv. [at and one.] At one; together.
ATO'NE, v.i. [Supposed to be compounded of at and one. L. ad and unus, unio.]
1. To agree; to be in accordance; to accord.
He and Aufidus can no more atone.
Than violentest contrariety.
[This sense is obsolete.]
2. To stand as an equivalent; to make reparation, amends or satisfaction for an offense or a crime, by which reconciliation is procured between the offended and offending parties.
The murderer fell and blood atoned for blood.
By what propitiation shall I atone for my former gravity.
The life of a slave was deemed to be of so little value, that a very slight compensation atoned for taking it away.
3. To atone for, to make compensation or amends.
This evil was atoned for by the good effects of the study of the practical physics of Aristotle.
The ministry not atoning for their former conduct by any wise or popular measure.
ATO'NE, v.t.
1. To expiate; to answer or make satisfaction for.
or each atone his guilty love with life.
2. To reduce to concord; to reconcile, as parties at variance; to appease. [Not now used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make amends for; "expiate one's sins" [syn: expiate, aby, abye, atone]
2: turn away from sin or do penitence [syn: repent, atone]

Merriam Webster's

verb (atoned; atoning) Etymology: Middle English, to become reconciled, from at on in harmony, from at + on one Date: 1574 transitive verb 1. obsolete reconcile 2. to supply satisfaction for ; expiate intransitive verb to make amends <atone for sins>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.intr. (usu. foll. by for) make amends; expiate (for a wrong). Etymology: back-form. f. ATONEMENT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Atone A*tone" ([.a]*t[=o]n"), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Atoned; p. pr. & vb. n. Atoning.] [From at one,, i. e., to be, or cause to be, at one. See At one.] 1. To agree; to be in accordance; to accord. [Obs.] He and Aufidius can no more atone Than violentest contrariety. --Shak. 2. To stand as an equivalent; to make reparation, compensation, or amends, for an offense or a crime. The murderer fell, and blood atoned for blood. --Pope. The ministry not atoning for their former conduct by any wise or popular measure. --Junius.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Atone A*tone", v. t. 1. To set at one; to reduce to concord; to reconcile, as parties at variance; to appease. [Obs.] I would do much To atone them, for the love I bear to Cassio. --Shak. 2. To unite in making. [Obs. & R.] The four elements . . . have atoned A noble league. --Ford. 3. To make satisfaction for; to expiate. Or each atone his guilty love with life. --Pope.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(atones, atoning, atoned) If you atone for something that you have done, you do something to show that you are sorry you did it. (FORMAL) He felt he had atoned for what he had done to his son... = repent VERB: V for n

Moby Thesaurus

accord, answer, appease, assonate, atone for, attune, be harmonious, be in tune, blend, chime, chord, compensate, conciliate, cover, do penance, expiate, fill up, give and take, give satisfaction, harmonize, indemnify, kick back, live down, make amends, make compensation, make good, make matters up, make reparation, make restitution, make right, make up for, make up to, melodize, musicalize, pay, pay back, pay damages, pay in kind, pay the forfeit, pay the penalty, propitiate, put in tune, quit, recompense, recoup, rectify, redeem, redress, refund, reimburse, remedy, repair, repay, requite, retaliate, satisfy, set right, sound in tune, sound together, square, square it, square things, string, symphonize, synchronize, tone down, tone up, tune, tune up, voice