redeem: Meaning and Definition of

re•deem

Pronunciation: (ri-dēm'), [key]
— v.t.
  1. to buy or pay off; clear by payment: to redeem a mortgage.
  2. to buy back, as after a tax sale or a mortgage foreclosure.
  3. to recover (something pledged or mortgaged) by payment or other satisfaction: to redeem a pawned watch.
  4. to exchange (bonds, trading stamps, etc.) for money or goods.
  5. to convert (paper money) into specie.
  6. to discharge or fulfill (a pledge, promise, etc.).
  7. to make up for; make amends for; offset (some fault, shortcoming, etc.): His bravery redeemed his youthful idleness.
  8. to obtain the release or restoration of, as from captivity, by paying a ransom.
  9. to deliver from sin and its consequences by means of a sacrifice offered for the sinner.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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