To redeem something means to recover its value or make up for something negative. When you redeem a gift card, you exchange it for something you want: the card itself isn't useful until you redeem it for books, games, or whatever the store sells. When you collect points in a rewards program and redeem them for prizes, you're turning those points into something valuable.

The word also means to make something better after it went wrong, or to restore your reputation after a mistake. If you performed poorly in the first half of a basketball game but played brilliantly in the second half, you redeemed yourself. Your strong finish made up for your weak start. When a movie has a disappointing beginning but an exciting ending, critics might say the finale redeemed the film. A student who fails a quiz but studies hard and aces the next test has redeemed their earlier performance.

Someone might describe a person as having redeeming qualities, meaning they have good traits that balance out their flaws. Perhaps your friend talks too much but is incredibly loyal: that loyalty is a redeeming quality.

The word carries a sense of rescue or recovery, taking something that seemed worthless or damaged and restoring its value.