retaliate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(intr) to take retributory action, esp by returning some injury or wrong in kind
-
(intr) to cast (accustations) back upon a person
-
rare (tr) to avenge (an injury, wrong, etc)
Other Word Forms
- retaliation noun
- retaliative adjective
- retaliator noun
- retaliatory adjective
- unretaliated adjective
- unretaliating adjective
- unretaliative adjective
Etymology
Origin of retaliate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin retāliātus (past participle of retāliāre ), equivalent to re- re- + tāli(s) “such, of such a nature” + -ātus -ate 1
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.
In mid-February he warned that Iran was ready to retaliate against any American strike.
Still, Iran has demonstrated an ability to retaliate.
From BBC
The move followed warnings from Tehran ahead of the war that it would retaliate aggressively and draw the whole region into the conflict.
The film led North Korea to retaliate with a damaging cyberattack on the company.
The Afghan Taliban "will retaliate if we are attacked, but we won't start clashes at the moment", a Taliban military spokesperson told the BBC.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
