What does avenge mean?
"Avenge" is a transitive verb meaning to inflict punishment or retribution on someone in return for a wrong they have committed, most often on behalf of another person rather than oneself. When you avenge a friend's betrayal or avenge a death, you are acting as an agent of redress for harm done to someone else — a distinction that separates it from its close relative "revenge," which functions chiefly as a noun describing the retaliation itself. The word carries a formal, literary tone and tends to imply a sense of justice or moral duty rather than petty spite; heroes in epic poetry and protagonists in fiction routinely avenge slain kin or betrayed comrades. Grammatically, "avenge" takes the injury as its object ("avenge a crime") or appears reflexively as "avenge oneself on someone." Derived forms include "avenger" and "avenging." Its Latin root vincere, meaning "to conquer" or "to overcome," links it to words such as "victory" and "invincible."
verbTo inflict harm, punishment, or retribution on someone in return for a wrong or injury done to oneself or, more commonly, to another person.
- To take vengeance for or on behalf of someone who has been wronged, especially by inflicting punishment or harm on the offender.
- (Less common) To exact satisfaction or punishment for a wrong done to oneself.
"He swore to avenge his brother's death by bringing the killer to justice."
"The knight vowed to avenge the massacre of his village."
"She spent years trying to avenge the injustice done to her family."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of avenge
Avenge entered English in the Middle Ages, borrowed from Old French "avengier," which derived from Late Latin "devindicare," formed from the Latin prefix de- plus vindicare, "to claim, punish, or lay legal claim to." This root traces further back to the Latin verb vincere, "to conquer." The same lineage gives English "vengeance," "revenge," and "vindicate," making them true etymological cousins of "avenge."
Related word forms
How avenge is actually used
"Avenge" carries a formal or literary register and typically implies acting on behalf of someone else rather than oneself; it often connotes justice or moral justification more than mere spite. It is usually followed by the wrong suffered (e.g., "avenge a murder") or by a reflexive pronoun plus "on"/"upon" (e.g., "avenge oneself on one's enemies").
Easily confused with avenge
"Avenge" is a verb meaning to punish someone for a wrong done to another (or oneself), while "revenge" is primarily a noun referring to the act or desire for retaliation itself.