MEANING
To make amends or perform an act intended to remove guilt for wrongdoing.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- expiate a sin
On the page
He sought to expiate the betrayal.
The ritual promised to expiate their sins.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- expiate
- Past tense
- expiated
- Past participle
- expiated
- Present participle
- expiating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- expiate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are expiating
- Present perfect
- have/has expiated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been expiating
- Past
- expiated
- Past continuous
- was/were expiating
- Past perfect
- had expiated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been expiating
- Future
- will expiate
- Future continuous
- will be expiating
- Future perfect
- will have expiated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been expiating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: expiate; expiates; expiated; expiated; expiating Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: expiates.
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