revert

verb

re·​vert ri-ˈvərt 

reverted; reverting; reverts

intransitive verb

1

: to come or go back (as to a former condition, period, or subject)

2

: to return to the proprietor or his or her heirs at the end of a reversion

3

: to return to an ancestral type

reverter noun

revertible

ri-ˈvər-tə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• return

Examples of revert in a Sentence

after the national emergency had passed, the political parties abandoned their shotgun unity and reverted to their partisan squabbling

Recent Examples on the Web

Selling a put under those conditions, with roughly 60 days to expiration, positions the seller to capture elevated option premium while capturing the tendency for prices to revert toward the mean. —Michael Khouw, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025

The process aims to revert cancer cells to their normal or near-normal states without damaging others around them. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025

If O'Connell were to revert back to the second-year quarterback as his starter, Minnesota would have McCarthy under center on the road against the Detroit Lions on November 2. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025

Trump quickly reverted back to Boston, before taking one final question in the Oval Office. —Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French revertir, from Latin revertere, transitive verb, "to turn back" & reverti, intransitive verb, "to return, come back," from re- + vertere, verti "to turn" — more at worth

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing revert

• revert to
• revert to type

Rhymes for revert

• alert
• assert
• avert
• dessert
• divert
• evert
• exert
• inert
• insert
• invert
• nightshirt
• overt

Kids Definition

revert

verb

re·​vert ri-ˈvərt 

1

: to come or go back

reverted to the customs of their ancestors

2

: to experience reversion

Medical Definition

revert

intransitive verb

re·​vert ri-ˈvərt 

: to undergo reversion

revertible

-ˈvərt-ə-bəl 

adjective

Legal Definition

revert

intransitive verb

re·​vert ri-ˈvərt 

1

: to come or go back (as to a former status or state)

if the donee of a general power fails to exercise it…the appointive assets revert to the donor's estate

—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.

2

: to return to the grantor or his or her heirs as a reversion

revertible

-ˈvər-tə-bəl 

adjective