Adjacent Words

Redeem definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REDEE'M, v.t. [L. redimo; red, re, and emo, to obtain or purchase.]
1. To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying an equivalent; as, to redeem prisoners or captured goods; to redeem a pledge.
2. To repurchase what has been sold; to regain possession of a thing alienated, by repaying the value of it to the possessor.
If a man [shall] sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold.
Leviticus 25.
3. To rescue; to recover; to deliver from.
Th' Almighty from the grave hath me redeem'd.
Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Psalms 25. Deutoronomy 7.
The mass of earth not yet redeemed from chaos.
4. To compensate; to make amends for.
It is a chance which does redeem all sorrows.
By lesser ills the greater to redeem.
5. To free by making atonement.
Thou hast one daughter who redeems nature from the general curse.
6. To pay the penalty of.
Which of you will be mortal to redeem man's mortal crime?
7. To save.
He could not have redeemed a portion of his time for contemplating the powers of nature.
8. To perform what has been promised; to make good by performance. He has redeemed his pledge or promise.
9. In law, to recall an estate, or to obtain the right to re-enter upon a mortgaged estate by paying to the mortgagee his principal, interest, and expenses or costs.
10. In theology, to rescue and deliver from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God's violated law, by obedience and suffering in the place of the sinner, or by doing and suffering that which is accepted in lieu of the sinner's obedience.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Galatians 3. Titus 2.
11. In commerce, to purchase or pay the value in specie, of any promissory note, bill or other evidence of debt, given by the state, by a company or corporation, or by an individual. The credit of a state, a banking company or individuals, is good when they can redeem all their stock, notes or bills, at par.
To redeem time, is to use more diligence in the improvement of it; to be diligent and active in duty and preparation. Ephesians 5.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: save from sins [syn: deliver, redeem, save]
2: restore the honor or worth of
3: to turn in (vouchers or coupons) and receive something in exchange
4: exchange or buy back for money; under threat [syn: ransom, redeem]
5: pay off (loans or promissory notes) [syn: redeem, pay off]
6: convert into cash; of commercial papers

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb Etymology: Middle English redemen, from Anglo-French redemer, modification of Latin redimere, from re-, red- re- + emere to take, buy; akin to Lithuanian imti to take Date: 15th century 1. a. to buy back ; repurchase b. to get or win back 2. to free from what distresses or harms: as a. to free from captivity by payment of ransom b. to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental c. to release from blame or debt ; clear d. to free from the consequences of sin 3. to change for the better ; reform 4. repair, restore 5. a. to free from a lien by payment of an amount secured thereby b. (1) to remove the obligation of by payment <the United States Treasury redeems savings bonds on demand> (2) to exchange for something of value <redeem trading stamps> c. to make good ; fulfill 6. a. to atone for ; expiate <redeem an error> b. (1) to offset the bad effect of (2) to make worthwhile ; retrieve Synonyms: see rescue • redeemable adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 buy back; recover by expenditure of effort or by a stipulated payment. 2 make a single payment to discharge (a regular charge or obligation). 3 convert (tokens or bonds etc.) into goods or cash. 4 (of God or Christ) deliver from sin and damnation. 5 make up for; be a compensating factor in (has one redeeming feature). 6 (foll. by from) save from (a defect). 7 refl. save (oneself) from blame. 8 purchase the freedom of (a person). 9 save (a person's life) by ransom. 10 save or rescue or reclaim. 11 fulfil (a promise). Derivatives: redeemable adj. Etymology: ME f. OF redimer or L redimere redempt- (as RE-, emere buy)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Redeem Re*deem" (r?*d?m"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Redeemed. (-d?md"); p. pr. & vb. n. Redeeming.] [F. r['e]dimer, L. redimere; pref. red-, re- re- + emere, emptum, to buy, originally, to take, cf. OIr. em (in comp.), Lith. imti. Cf. Assume, Consume, Exempt, Premium, Prompt, Ransom.] 1. To purchase back; to regain possession of by payment of a stipulated price; to repurchase. If a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold. --Lev. xxv. 29. 2. Hence, specifically: (a) (Law) To recall, as an estate, or to regain, as mortgaged property, by paying what may be due by force of the mortgage. (b) (Com.) To regain by performing the obligation or condition stated; to discharge the obligation mentioned in, as a promissory note, bond, or other evidence of debt; as, to redeem bank notes with coin. 3. To ransom, liberate, or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying a price or ransom; to ransom; to rescue; to recover; as, to redeem a captive, a pledge, and the like. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. --Ps. xxv. 22. The Almighty from the grave Hath me redeemed. --Sandys. 4. (Theol.) Hence, to rescue and deliver from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God's violated law. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. --Gal. iii. 13. 5. To make good by performing fully; to fulfill; as, to redeem one's promises. I will redeem all this on Percy's head. --Shak. 6. To pay the penalty of; to make amends for; to serve as an equivalent or offset for; to atone for; to compensate; as, to redeem an error. Which of ye will be mortal, to redeem Man's mortal crime? --Milton. It is a chance which does redeem all sorrows. --Shak. To redeem the time, to make the best use of it.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(redeems, redeeming, redeemed) 1. If you redeem yourself or your reputation, you do something that makes people have a good opinion of you again after you have behaved or performed badly. He had realized the mistake he had made and wanted to redeem himself... The sole redeeming feature of your behaviour is that you're not denying it. VERB: V n, V-ing 2. When something redeems an unpleasant thing or situation, it prevents it from being completely bad. Work is the way that people seek to redeem their lives from futility... Does this institution have any redeeming features? VERB: V n, V-ing 3. If you redeem a debt or money that you have promised to someone, you pay money that you owe or that you promised to pay. (FORMAL) The amount required to redeem the mortgage was £358,587... VERB: V n 4. If you redeem an object that belongs to you, you get it back from someone by repaying them money that you borrowed from them, after using the object as a guarantee. Make sure you know exactly what you will be paying back when you plan to redeem the item. VERB: V n 5. In religions such as Christianity, to redeem someone means to save them by freeing them from sin and evil. ...a new female spiritual force to redeem the world. VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Repurchase, buy back, regain, retrieve. 2. Ransom, free, liberate, save, rescue. 3. Deliver, recover, rescue, save. 4. Compensate, recompense, make amends for, atone for. 5. Fulfil, keep, discharge, make good, perform. 6. Improve, employ well.

Moby Thesaurus

abet, abide by, absolve, acknowledge, aid, amend, amortize, assist, atone, atone for, avail, bail out, balance, be faithful to, bear a hand, bear the expense, befriend, benefit, buy, buy back, carry out, cash in, change, change for, chip in, clear, comfort, commute, compensate, compensate for, compound for, convert, counterbalance, counterpoise, countervail, defray, defray expenses, deliver, discharge, disenthrall, do good, doctor, dub in, ease, emancipate, exchange, expiate, extract, extricate, favor, finance, foot the bill, free, fund, get back, give a boost, give a hand, give a lift, give help, give place to, give salvation, give satisfaction, go Dutch, help, honor, honor a bill, keep, keep faith with, lend a hand, lend one aid, liberate, lift, liquidate, live down, loose, make accounts square, make amends, make compensation, make do with, make good, make matters up, make reparation, make right, make up, make up for, make way for, manumit, new-model, offer in exchange, offset, outweigh, pay for, pay in full, pay off, pay the bill, pay the forfeit, pay the penalty, pay the piper, pay the shot, pay up, perform, proffer aid, propitiate, protect, put up with, rally, ransom, re-form, recapture, reclaim, recompense, recoup, recover, recuperate, recycle, redress, refashion, reform, regain, regenerate, rehabilitate, reinstate, release, relieve, remedy, remodel, render assistance, renew, renovate, reoccupy, repair, replevin, replevy, repossess, repurchase, rescue, reshape, restore, restore self-respect, resume, resuscitate, retake, retire, retrieve, revindicate, revive, ring in, salvage, satisfy, save, see through, set free, set off, set straight, set up, settle, shift with, square, square accounts, square it, square things, stand the costs, strike a balance, substitute, succor, switch, take back, take in exchange, take in tow, take up, trade in, unbind, unchain, win back