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Definition of retaliate
retaliated
;retaliating
transitive verb
: to repay in kind retaliate an injury
intransitive verb
: to return like for like; especially : to get revenge
From the M-W Editors
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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The winner of that election has threatened to remove libel protections and retaliate against specific news organizations while riling up crowds against the media at his Nuremberg-style rallies.
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Kravitz had gone after Barnett-Azhocar with brass knuckles while Barnett-Azhocar retaliated with a Dewalt 6-inch serrated hand saw, police said.
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Residents were terrified that ISIS would come back and retaliate.
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But the U.S. has limited options to retaliate against that country, which is already diplomatically isolated and heavily sanctioned.
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In order to remedy the conduct, Pruitt-Adams asked Powell to refrain from having district students on his property and not retaliate against any employee or student for participating in the district's investigation into the matter.
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Supported by Britain and France, Israel retaliated in October by invading Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
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In the complaint, Merket, 52, alleges that the school district discriminated against him on the basis of age and retaliated against him because of his support for a former co-worker.
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Christie was referring to the investigation into his team creating traffic problems at the George Washington Bridge in order to allegedly retaliate against a Democratic New Jersey mayor who didn’t endorse him during his re-election campaign.
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
Synonym Discussion of retaliate
RETALIATE Defined for English Language Learners
retaliate
playDefinition 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
retaliate
playDefinition of retaliate for Students
retaliated
;retaliating
: to get revenge by returning like for like
Law Dictionary
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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