All 6 Uses

redeem
in
The Glass Castle
(Edited)

When we wanted money, we walked along the roadside picking up beer cans and bottles that we redeemed for two cents each.
p. 62.1 *

redeemed = exchanged
After we redeemed the bottles or sold the scrap metal, we walked into town, to the drugstore next door to the Owl Club.
p. 62.1

redeemed = exchanged (for money)
One afternoon when Brian and I had come home to an empty fridge, we went out to the alley behind the house looking for bottles to redeem.
p. 110.6

redeem = exchange (for money)
"Everyone has something good about them," she said. "You have to find the redeeming quality and love the person for that."
p. 144.8 *

redeeming = making up for the bad
"How about Hitler? What was his redeeming quality?"
"Hitler loved dogs," Mom said without hesitation.
p. 144.9
Babysitting and tutoring and doing other kids' homework and mowing lawns and redeeming bottles and selling scrap metal didn't count.
p. 215.2

redeeming = exchanging (for money)

Definitions:

(1) (redeem as in: its main redeeming quality is...)
to make up for something bad; or to save
(2) (redeem as in: redeem the coupon)
exchange, convert, or pay off
The exact meaning of redeem can depend upon its context. For example:
- "to redeem a coupon" -- exchange something for something else of value
- "to redeem stock" -- sell or convert to cash
- "to redeem a mortgage" -- pay off a loan
(3) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
In Christianity, redemption is used to reference Jesus' sacrifice to make up for human sin.

Old usage (as might be found in the Bible or in Shakespeare) also uses redeeming time to refer to making the best use of time.