do penance

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Well, they only do in one respect, and that seems to be Röhl’s main fixation: They’re all associated with attempts to work through and do penance for Nazi Germany’s crimes.

From Slate • Jan. 5, 2025

Alito carefully clipped out the words "she shall do penance for seven years" from the quotation, between "quick" and "as."

From Salon • Oct. 13, 2022

You must admit your failure to appreciate this orthodoxy and do penance, or you will not survive in the job.

From Washington Times • Jun. 10, 2020

I do penance at church every week, and on 6 pilgrimages to Catholic shrines in France and Spain and Portugal, for that grievous sin.

From New York Times • Oct. 20, 2010

“That’s one of the things I do penance for all the time. Except that no one at the convent listens to me like you do.”

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer