- the act of punishing or harming somebody in return for what they have done to you, your family or friends synonym revenge
- a desire for vengeance
- vengeance on/upon somebody to take vengeance on somebody
- She is determined to wreak vengeance on those who killed her cousin.
- He swore vengeance on his child's killer.
- vengeance against somebody He sought vengeance against those who had humiliated his country.
Extra ExamplesTopics War and conflictc2- He stormed out, eyes blazing, bent on vengeance.
- They sought vengeance against the countries that had humiliated France in 1814.
- vengeance for the murder of the princess
- He sets out to exact vengeance for the Trojan victory.
- Vengeance was swift and brutal.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- terrible
- exact
- take
- wreak
- …
- vengeance against
- vengeance for
- vengeance on
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French, from venger ‘avenge’.
Idioms
See vengeance in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarywith a vengeance
- (informal) to a greater degree than is expected or usual
- She set to work with a vengeance.
- After two days the infection came back with a vengeance.
- After a poor season last year, he’s back with a vengeance.
Check pronunciation:
vengeance