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redeem

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redeem (one)self

To make amends for one's past misdeeds or shortcomings by doing something positive. Matt's grades were not great at the beginning of the semester, but he's totally redeemed himself and gotten A's on every test since. My sister was mad at me for not spending time with her, so I redeemed myself by getting us tickets to see her favorite band.

See also: redeem

redeeming feature

A good quality or aspect that makes up for other drawbacks, as in The house isn't very attractive, but the garden is the redeeming feature. This idiom, first recorded in 1827, uses redeem in the sense of "compensate."

See also: feature, redeem