revenge

verb

re·venge | \ri-ˈvenj

revenged; revenging

Definition of revenge

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to avenge (oneself or another) usually by retaliating in kind or degree

2 : to inflict injury in return for revenge an insult

revenge

noun

Definition of revenge (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a desire for vengeance or retribution motivated by revenge

2 : an act or instance of retaliating in order to get even plotted her revenge

3 : an opportunity for getting satisfaction sought revenge through a rematch

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Examples of revenge in a Sentence

Verb

a man who took matters into his own hands and revenged the death of his brother

Noun

She swore that she would have her revenge. She wants revenge against her enemies. The bombing was in revenge for the assassination of their leader. The team is seeking revenge for the loss earlier in the season.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Lovren was part of Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool squad that lost both home and away legs to Real Madrid in the group stages back in 14/15, and hopes to revenge past results by winning the biggest trophy in club football. — SI.com, "Liverpool Defender Dejan Lovren Reveals Letter He Wrote Himself as a Child Ahead of UCL Final," 23 May 2018 If the Buckeyes want to revenge its 31-point loss a week ago to Iowa, however, the team may be doing so without two of its linebackers, Jerome Baker and Dante Booker. — Kevin Cunningham, ajc, "Ohio State linebackers Jerome Baker, Dante Booker currently game-time decisions against Michigan State," 11 Nov. 2017 The Longhorns claimed a tough 47-40 overtime victory in 2013 that was revenged with a 38-20 West Virginia triumph two years later. — Tim Griffin Diehards, ajc, "Big 12 viewers guide stacked with big, interesting games in Week 12," 12 Nov. 2017 Here are the reflections of a few of the artists and technicians who pitted against one another two bastards, their vast armies and (most powerful of all) their divergent attitudes to power and to revenge. — Daniel D’addario, Time, "The Making of 'Battle of the Bastards,' Game of Thrones's Most Ambitious Episode," 19 June 2016

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

With no fewer than six major-league baseball teams (and the University of Kentucky) withdrawing from sponsorship deals with the pizza company, Ritchie's top priority must be repair, not revenge. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Bendapudi manages first University of Louisville crisis magnificently," 13 July 2018 In turn, such a trade could potentially be sweet revenge for James, who is among the many basketball luminaries to have clapped back at Ball for some of his edgy pronouncements. — Des Bieler, chicagotribune.com, "LaVar Ball says his son will make LeBron James 'better' - as long as Lonzo has the ball," 4 July 2018 Gillard, who lived on Wellens Street near Fourth, about 1½ blocks away, rounded up friends and family members in her Honda Odyssey minivan and drove to the gas station seeking revenge, prosecutors said. — Julie Shaw, Philly.com, "3 women get long prison terms in fatal beating of homeless man at Olney gas station," 29 June 2018 Will vouches for her, not taking this moment alone with Howard to seek revenge for his bruised ego. — refinery29.com, "Sweetbitter Episode 6: Careful What You Wish For," 11 June 2018 The victory was sweet revenge for South Plantation. — Pat Lammer, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Melinek, South Plantation eliminate host Spanish River," 3 May 2018 Instead, the shooter’s motive was revenge for United States bombing campaigns on ISIS targets in the Middle East. — Jane Coaston, Vox, "New evidence shows the Pulse nightclub shooting wasn’t about anti-LGBTQ hate," 5 Apr. 2018 At the end of 2017, the Supreme Court ordered the company to compensate for what appeared to be revenge against the woman. — Youkyung Lee, The Christian Science Monitor, "#MeToo takes off in South Korea, but how far will it go?," 22 Mar. 2018 The Netflix show 13 Reasons Why, for example, positions suicide as a conduit for revenge, arguably reinforcing the idea that death by suicide is the only way for those struggling with mental illness to be seen, heard, and appreciated. — Danielle Campoamor, Marie Claire, "It's Time to Talk About the Media's Role in Rising Suicide Rates," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'revenge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for revenge

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French revenger, revengier, from re- + venger to avenge — more at vengeance

Noun

Middle French revenge, revenche, from revengier, revenchier to revenge

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Time Traveler for revenge

The first known use of revenge was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for revenge

revenge

noun

English Language Learners Definition of revenge

: the act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something that hurt you

: the act of defeating an opponent who has defeated you in the past

See the full definition for revenge in the English Language Learners Dictionary

revenge

verb

re·venge | \ri-ˈvenj

revenged; revenging

Kids Definition of revenge

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to cause harm or injury in return for He'll revenge the insult.

revenge

noun

Kids Definition of revenge (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act or instance of causing harm or injury in return for a wrong … she would be instrumental in helping the rat work his revenge.— Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux

2 : a desire to cause harm or injury in return for a wrong She was motivated by revenge.

3 : a chance for getting satisfaction The team sought revenge through a rematch.