verb
avenge
uh-VEHNJ
verb
1
To get retribution for a wrong or injury done to oneself or someone else.
"She swore to avenge her brother's murder."
"The knight vowed to avenge the fallen village."
How to Use Avenge
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo pay someone back for a wrong done to you or someone you care about, usually by punishing the wrongdoer.
Common mistake
Avenge usually takes a wrong or a person as its object ("avenge his death"), while "revenge" is more often used as a noun; don't confuse the two forms.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
avenge a death
avenge oneself
sworn to avenge
Word Forms
avenged past tense, avenges plural, avenges singular
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She swore to _____ her brother's murder.
Etymology
From Old French avengier, from a- plus vengier ("to avenge"), rooted in Latin vindicare.