Definition of retaliate
: to return like for like;
especially
: to get revenge
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Examples of retaliate in a Sentence
After the company announced plans to reduce benefits, the union threatened to retaliate by calling for a strike.
retaliated his neighbor's malicious destruction of his flower garden by cutting down the man's prize apple tree
Recent Examples of retaliate from the Web
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These vessels would survive a first strike and retaliate, which is meant to prevent an enemy from ever using its weapons.
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Yet, as a reminder of why women often keep their stories of harassment or assault to themselves, Moore retaliates by dragging the names of all of his accusers through the mud.
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Less than a year later, Alphabet retaliated, filing a trade secrets lawsuit against Uber.
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The 11-year-old Ty committed suicide when he was suspended from school for retaliating against a classmate who had been bullying him for two years.
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Documents obtained by Channel 2 included accusations from officers that former Chief Roosevelt Smith violated city policy, retaliated against officers, created a hostile-toxic work environment and promoted people who didn’t deserve it.
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China has retaliated by, among other things, purchasing its soybeans elsewhere to punish American farmers, and threatening strict duties on major U.S. imports.
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Hiram retaliates against Archie for going against him and siding with his dad.
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They can be retaliated against in more subtle ways than a firing, and the news media won’t necessarily care about them or their stories.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'retaliate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of retaliate
Late Latin retaliatus, past participle of retaliare, from Latin re- + talio legal retaliation
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 1606
in the meaning defined at transitive sense
See Words from the same yearretaliate Synonyms
Synonym Discussion of retaliate
reciprocate, retaliate, requite, return mean to give back usually in kind or in quantity. reciprocate implies a mutual or equivalent exchange or a paying back of what one has received.
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- reciprocated their hospitality by inviting them for a visit
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- the enemy retaliated by executing their prisoners
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- requited her love with cold indifference
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- returned their call
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- return good for evil
RETALIATE Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of retaliate for English Language Learners
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: to do something bad to someone who has hurt you or treated you badly : to get revenge against someone
RETALIATE Defined for Kids
Definition of retaliate for Students
retaliated;
retaliating
: to get revenge by returning like for like
Law Dictionary
legal Definition of retaliate
retaliated;
retaliating
: to act in revenge
Learn More about retaliate
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See words that rhyme with retaliate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for retaliate Spanish Central: Translation of retaliate Nglish: Translation of retaliate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of retaliate for Arabic speakers
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