redeemre‧deem /rɪˈdiːm/ ●○○ verb [transitive] formal 
Olivier’s performance redeemed an otherwise second-rate play.redeeming quality/feature etc (=the one good thing about an unpleasant person or thing) The hotel had a single redeeming feature – it was cheap.2redeem yourself to do something that will improve what other people think of you, after you have behaved badly or failed: He spent the rest of the game trying to redeem himself after a first-minute mistake.3get money for something to exchange a piece of paper representing an amount of money for that amount of money or for goods equal in cost to that amount of money: You can redeem the coupon at any store.4religion to free someone from the power of evil, especially in the Christian religion → Redeemer5redeem a promise/pledge formal to do what you promised to do: The government found itself unable to redeem its election pledges.6get something back to buy back something which you left with someone you borrowed money fromredeem something from something He finally redeemed his watch from the pawnbroker.
WORD ORIGINredeem
Origin:
1400-1500 French rédimer, from Latin redimere, from emere ‘to take, buy’VERB TABLE
redeem
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | redeem |
| he, she, it | redeems | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | redeemed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have redeemed |
| he, she, it | has redeemed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had redeemed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will redeem |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have redeemed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am redeeming |
| he, she, it | is redeeming | |
| you, we, they | are redeeming | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was redeeming |
| you, we, they | were redeeming | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been redeeming |
| he, she, it | has been redeeming | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been redeeming |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be redeeming |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been redeeming |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Christ came to Earth to redeem us from our sins.
- I finally redeemed my watch from the pawnbrokers.
- The system had failed so badly there was no way to redeem it.
- Travelers can redeem the coupons for one-way flights.
- Any compilation is going to be a shallow thing redeemed only by the actual songs on it.
- Any rally will be undermined by corporate investors redeeming mutual fund holdings, Subramanian said.
- Can you explain simply what one purpose or one redeeming quality that movie embraced?
- Frans Hals had painted portraits of girls who could only be described as plain, but something lively and piquant redeemed them.
- Heavy redemption penalties also apply; but you are unlikely to want to redeem such a good deal.
- If there is a redeeming trait in him, he has not revealed it.
- Liberated serfs would then redeem their debts over a period of years.
WORD SETS
absolute advantage, aggregate demand, AGM, nounagribusiness, nounairline, nounappurtenance, nounassessment, nounbad debt, nounbalance sheet, nounbankroll, verbbankrupt, adjectivebankrupt, verbbankrupt, nounbankruptcy, nounbargain, verbbargain basement, nounbaron, nounbill of sale, nounbiz, nounblack market, nounblack marketeer, nounboom, nounboom and bust, nounboom town, nounbrown goods, nounbubble, nounbudget surplus, business card, nounbusiness cycle, business hours, nounbuyout, nouncapital, nouncapital-intensive, adjectivechamber of commerce, nounclerical, adjectiveconsumer, nounconsumer goods, noundisposable income, noundownturn, noundrive-through, nouneconomically, adverbfinancial, adjectiveflat, adjectivefree enterprise, noungiveaway, adjectiveincrement, nounindustry, nouninflate, verbinflated, adjectiveinflation, nouninflationary, adjectiveinsolvent, adjectiveinstitution, nouninterest, nounintroduction, nounlivery, nounlow season, nounlucrative, adjectiveMBA, nounmemo, nounmentoring, nounnegotiable, adjectivenegotiate, verbnegotiation, nounnon-profit, adjectiveopen, verboperational research, nounowner-occupied, adjectivepack, nounpackage, nounpaperwork, nounpatron, nounpatronage, nounpatronize, verbpay, verbpcm, peppercorn rent, nounpersonal assistant, nounplanned obsolescence, nounpp., quarter, nounquarter day, nounquota, nounquote, verbready-made, adjectivereal estate, nounrebate, nounredeem, verbredevelop, verbrefund, nounrent, nounshutdown, nounsliding scale, nounsubcontract, verbsubcontractor, nountariff, nounundercut, verbundersubscribed, adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
(=the one good thing about an unpleasant person or thing) The hotel had a single redeeming feature – it was cheap.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The hotel had a single redeeming feature – it was cheap. (=one that makes something acceptable)· The hotel’s only redeeming feature was its view of the bay
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· A state lawmaker wants death-row inmates to have a chance to redeem themselves and help their fellow man.· I give her the chance to redeem herself.· It was my chance to redeem myself.
· It failed to redeem the pledge, and now says it is no longer bound by the deal.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► redeem a promise/pledge
1improve something to make something less bad SYN make up for: - The Bears will have a chance to redeem themselves in Saturday's game.
- A state lawmaker wants death-row inmates to have a chance to redeem themselves and help their fellow man.
- Gerrard then redeemed himself with a double save.
- He redeemed himself by sending over a good cross for P Reid to put the Olympic in front.
- Now he has redeemed himself in overseeing her recovery.
- The only way we could redeem ourselves was by getting out of the first round.
- There was a sense of we had to come back and redeem ourselves.
- You must, in short, become a born-again consumer, redeem yourself, and find peace.
Olivier’s performance redeemed an otherwise second-rate play.redeeming quality/feature etc (=the one good thing about an unpleasant person or thing) The hotel had a single redeeming feature – it was cheap.2redeem yourself to do something that will improve what other people think of you, after you have behaved badly or failed: He spent the rest of the game trying to redeem himself after a first-minute mistake.3get money for something to exchange a piece of paper representing an amount of money for that amount of money or for goods equal in cost to that amount of money: You can redeem the coupon at any store.4religion to free someone from the power of evil, especially in the Christian religion → Redeemer5redeem a promise/pledge formal to do what you promised to do: The government found itself unable to redeem its election pledges.6get something back to buy back something which you left with someone you borrowed money fromredeem something from something He finally redeemed his watch from the pawnbroker.