The Britannica Dictionary
mobile search
Home
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
×
Britannica Homepage
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
The Britannica Dictionary
penance
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
penance
(noun)
penance
/
ˈ
pɛnəns/
noun
penance
/
ˈ
pɛnəns/
noun
Britannica Dictionary definition of PENANCE
:
something that you do or are given to do in order to show that you are sad or sorry about doing something wrong
[
noncount
]
She did/performed (an act of)
penance
for her sins.
[+] more examples
[-] hide examples
[+] Example sentences
[-] Hide examples
[
singular
]
He did charitable work as a
penance
.
[+] more examples
[-] hide examples
[+] Example sentences
[-] Hide examples
ASK THE EDITOR
What are the plural forms of
check-in
,
passerby
, and
spoonful
?
See the answer »
QUIZZES
Vocabulary Quiz
Test your word power
Take the Quiz »
Name That Thing
Take our visual quiz
Test Your Knowledge »
WORD OF THE DAY
replenish
:
to fill or build up (something) again (
somewhat formal
)
Learn More »