redeem
ri-DEEM
/rɪˈdiːm/
To buy back, reclaim, or recover something by paying the required sum or fulfilling an obligation.
Carries a sense of rescue or recovery—saving something from being lost, sold, or condemned.
The story behind the word. Formed from the Latin prefix 'red-' (back) and 'emere' (to buy or take). In ancient Rome, this was the literal term used for buying back a slave's freedom or purchasing captive hostages back from enemies.
Word relationships
- reclaim: Reclaim can apply to land or rights without payment, whereas redeem almost always involves paying a debt or fulfilling a coupon.
- buy back: Buy back is a simple, informal term, whereas redeem has formal, legal, and sometimes spiritual connotations.
- forfeit: To lose the right to something due to failure to pay or comply with rules.
Commonly confused with
- recover: Recover is general (e.g., recovering from an illness), while redeem specifically involves a transaction or fulfillment of an obligation.
Word family
- redemption (noun): The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil, or the action of regaining possession of something.
- redeemable (adjective): Able to be recovered or bought back.
Collocations
- redeem a pledge
- redeem a voucher
- redeem oneself
- fail to redeem
Idioms & expressions
- redeeming feature
Example sentences
- "He managed to save enough money to redeem his grandfather's watch from the shop." Reclaiming an item from a pawn shop.
- "You can redeem this voucher for a free meal at any participating location." Using a coupon or voucher.
Memory hook
Think of 're-deem' as 're-buying' a 'deed' to your property. Redeem means to buy back what was yours.
When not to use
Do not use when simply purchasing a new item; it must involve reclaiming something that was previously pledged, lost, or promised.
Fun facts
- The term 'redemption' is used in corporate finance to describe a company buying back its own shares or bonds from investors.
Explore more words
redemption, compensate, exchange, redress, store credit, reimburse
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