Meanings
verbredeem (third-person singular simple present redeems, present participle redeeming, simple past and past participle redeemed)
present singular third person redeems · participle present redeeming · participle past redeemed · past redeemed
- transitiveTo set free by force.
Your Highneſſe needs not doubt but in ſhort time, He will with Tamburlaines deſtruction Redeeme you from this deadly ſeruitude.
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene ii1 more example
Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments ...
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 6:6 - transitiveTo save, rescue.
- transitiveTo reform, change (for the better).
- transitiveTo restore the honour, worth, or reputation of oneself or something.
- archaictransitiveTo reclaim.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo recover ownership of something by buying it back.
Similar
Opposite
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinred-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁em-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁émeti
- Proto-Italic*emō
- Latinemō
- Latinredimō
- Old Frenchredimer
- Middle Englishredemen
- Englishredeem
From Middle English redemen, modified from Old French redimer, from Latin redimō (“release; obviate; atone for”), itself from red- (“back; again”) + emō (“buy; gain, take, procure”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek λυτροω
- λυτροω (lutroō)to liberate by payment of ransom
Bulgarian откупвам, откупвам
- откупвам (otkupvam)to recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- откупвам (otkupvam)to liberate by payment of ransom
- освобождавам (osvoboždavam)to set free by force
- спасявам (spasjavam)to save, rescue, recover
- изкупвам (izkupvam)to expiate, atone for
- осребрявам (osrebrjavam)to convert into cash
Catalan redimir, bescanviar
- redimirto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- bescanviarto convert into cash
Chinese Mandarin 赎回
- 赎回 (shúhuí)to recover ownership of something by paying a sum
Czech vykoupit, vyplatit
- vykoupitto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- vyplatitto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- vykoupitto liberate by payment of ransom
- vykoupitto save, rescue, recover
- vykoupitto clear, release from debt or blame
- vykoupitto expiate, atone for
- proplatitto convert into cash
- vykoupitto save from a state of sin
Danish befri, redde
- befrito set free by force
- reddeto save, rescue, recover
- frelseto save, rescue, recover
- frelseto save from a state of sin
Dutch terugkopen, vrijkopen
- terugkopento recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- vrijkopento liberate by payment of ransom
- bevrijdento set free by force
- reddento save, rescue, recover
- verlossento save, rescue, recover
- uitboetento expiate, atone for
- afbetalento convert into cash
- aflossento convert into cash
- inlossento convert into cash
- omzettento convert into cash
- uitboetento convert into cash
- vrijkopento convert into cash
Esperanto elaĉeti, elaĉeti
- elaĉetito liberate by payment of ransom
- elaĉetito expiate, atone for
Finnish lunastaa, ostaa takaisin
- lunastaato recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- ostaa takaisinto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- maksaa lunnaatto liberate by payment of ransom
- vapauttaato set free by force
- pelastaato save, rescue, recover
- vapauttaato clear, release from debt or blame
- sovittaato expiate, atone for
- lunastaato convert into cash
- lunastaato save from a state of sin
- vapahtaato save from a state of sin
- armahtaato save from a state of sin
- pelastaato save from a state of sin
French racheter, libérer
- racheterto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- libérerto set free by force
- secourirto save, rescue, recover
- libérerto clear, release from debt or blame
- soulagerto clear, release from debt or blame
- liquiderto convert into cash
- réparerto repair, restore
- rétablirto repair, restore
- améliorerto change for the better, reform
- réformerto change for the better, reform
- racheterto restore the reputation, honour of ...
German zurückkaufen, loslösen
- zurückkaufento recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- loslösento liberate by payment of ransom
- freikaufento liberate by payment of ransom
- befreiento set free by force
- befreiento save, rescue, recover
- einlösento convert into cash
- erlösento save from a state of sin
- wiederherstellento repair, restore
- verbessernto change for the better, reform
- (Ruf) wiederherstellento restore the reputation, honour of ...
Greek εξαγοράζω, εξαργυρώνω
- εξαγοράζω (exagorázo)to save, rescue, recover
- εξαργυρώνω (exargyróno)to convert into cash
Hebrew גָּאַל
- גָּאַל (ga'ál)to save from a state of sin
Irish fuascail, fuascail
- fuascailto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- fuascailto liberate by payment of ransom
- fuascailto set free by force
- fuascailto convert into cash
- slánaighto save from a state of sin
Italian riscattare, redimere
- riscattareto convert into cash
- redimereto save from a state of sin
Japanese 買い戻す, あがなう
- 買い戻す (kai-modosu)to recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- あがなう (aganau)to save from a state of sin
- 回復する (kaifuku-suru)to restore the reputation, honour of ...
Latin redimō, redimō
- redimōto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- redimōto liberate by payment of ransom
Polish odkupywać, odkupić
- odkupywaćto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- odkupićto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- odkupywaćto liberate by payment of ransom
- odkupićto liberate by payment of ransom
- spieniężaćto convert into cash
- odkupywaćto save from a state of sin
- odkupićto save from a state of sin
Portuguese resgatar, redimir
- resgatarto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- redimirto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- libertarto set free by force
- resgatarto save, rescue, recover
- redimirto clear, release from debt or blame
- redimir-seto expiate, atone for
- redimirto save from a state of sin
- redimirto restore the reputation, honour of ...
Russian выкупа́ть, вы́купить
- выкупа́ть (vykupátʹ)to recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- вы́купить (výkupitʹ)to recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- выкупа́ть (vykupátʹ)to liberate by payment of ransom
- вы́купить (výkupitʹ)to liberate by payment of ransom
- обнали́чивать (obnalíčivatʹ)to convert into cash
- искупа́ть (iskupátʹ)to save from a state of sin
- искупи́ть (iskupítʹ)to save from a state of sin
- улучша́ться (ulučšátʹsja)to change for the better, reform
- улу́чшиться (ulúčšitʹsja)to change for the better, reform
- обеля́ть (obeljátʹ)to restore the reputation, honour of ...
- обели́ть (obelítʹ)to restore the reputation, honour of ...
Spanish redimir, redimir
- redimirto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- redimirto clear, release from debt or blame
- redimirseto expiate, atone for
- canjearto convert into cash
- redimirto save from a state of sin
- redimirto restore the reputation, honour of ...
Swedish återlösa, befria
- återlösato liberate by payment of ransom
- befriato set free by force
- räddato save, rescue, recover
- gottgörato expiate, atone for
- sonato expiate, atone for
- frälsato save from a state of sin
- återlösato save from a state of sin
- återställato repair, restore
Turkish geri almak, kurtarmak
- geri almakto recover ownership of something by paying a sum
- kurtarmakto liberate by payment of ransom
- kurtarmakto set free by force
- arıtmakto save from a state of sin
- temizlemekto save from a state of sin
- eski duruma döndürmekto repair, restore
- tadilat yapmakto repair, restore
- iyileştirmekto change for the better, reform
- aklamakto restore the reputation, honour of ...
- temize çıkarmakto restore the reputation, honour of ...
Vietnamese cứu chuộc, chuộc
- cứu chuộcto save, rescue, recover
- chuộcto save, rescue, recover
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with redeem
teamstreamprimeseemdreamextremeschemesupremebeamsteamregimeupstreamscreamesteemdownstreamseamdeemKariminseamneemhemeacademegleambream
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
redeem. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/redeem
MLA
“redeem.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/redeem. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “redeem,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/redeem.
Source: redeem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.