requite

1
as in to compensate
to provide (someone) with a just payment for loss or injury the company requited the employee who had fallen on the ice while leaving work by promptly paying all his medical bills, hoping that would stave off a lawsuit

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to avenge
to punish in kind the wrongdoer responsible for the future writer would later requite the abuse he suffered at the hands of his classmates by creating scathing portraits of them in his novels

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb requite contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of requite are reciprocate, retaliate, and return. While all these words mean "to give back usually in kind or in quantity," requite implies a paying back according to one's preference and often not equivalently.

requited her love with cold indifference

When can reciprocate be used instead of requite?

The words reciprocate and requite can be used in similar contexts, but reciprocate implies a mutual or equivalent exchange or a paying back of what one has received.

reciprocated their hospitality by inviting them for a visit

When is retaliate a more appropriate choice than requite?

In some situations, the words retaliate and requite are roughly equivalent. However, retaliate usually implies a paying back of injury in exact kind, often vengefully.

the enemy retaliated by executing their prisoners

When might return be a better fit than requite?

While the synonyms return and requite are close in meaning, return implies a paying or giving back.

returned their call
return good for evil

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of requite But after years of wooing Silicon Valley, the Defense Department’s interest became requited, with companies like Amazon seeing opportunities to replace the government’s hodge-podge data centers with cloud computing, for which the Pentagon was offering a $10 billion contract prize in 2019. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2025 The individuals are putting money to work furiously, in individual stocks, demonstrating faith not in Trump, but in business, and it is being requited and will continue to be requited with higher stock prices. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 July 2025 Reflecting Lee’s turmoil as he’s tormented by heroin withdrawals and his not entirely requited affection for Allerton, the film is moody, and the sets reflect the interior landscapes of its characters. Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 16 Dec. 2024 In the book, the main character falls in love with an android that only pretends to requite his feelings. IEEE Spectrum, 22 Mar. 2023 But his love wasn’t always requited. Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023 Looks like the love Taylor Swift has for Grey’s Anatomy is fully requited! Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 15 Feb. 2023 An intensity which can be called religious characterizes the devotion shown to their community by literally millions of people who routinely sacrifice — time, money, labor — to remark that devotion; and, using their own language, methods, and skills, to requite the community. William F. Buckley Jr., National Review, 26 Nov. 2020 There’s a lot to requite my love. Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 18 Aug. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for requite
Verb
  • The Pixel’s Magic Editor leverages generative AI tools, which can remove objects in the background, alter lighting, and realistically change the entire mood of a phone (a bright middary sun can easily be compensated for).
    Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Efficient, neat, always available as a means of compensating for her (completely justified) fear of not being a brilliant enough copywriter.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Anisimova aims to avenge Wimbledon heartbreak The world of elite sports is littered with examples of players and teams that nearly reached the very top, only to fall short at the proverbial finish line.
    Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
  • But the Spartans' next opponent, Boston College, may provide a true test for Michigan State, as the Spartans aim to avenge a 23-19 loss in the 2024 season and set themselves up for a good showing in Big Ten play.
    Christian Romo, Freep.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The buyer must repay the full value of the tax credit to the IRS when filing a tax return.
    Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • So if bankruptcy hits one of these borrowers, MSDL is first to be repaid.
    Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • If your repair is covered, CarShield will reimburse the cost of a rental car up to $100 per day for up to 14 days.
    Brian Sloan, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The Kentucky Hospital Association says new restrictions on how much hospitals can get reimbursed could endanger 20,000 jobs, losses that would land disproportionately hard in Eastern Kentucky.
    Chris Kenning, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Dancing alone in her bedroom won’t satisfy her, especially after Hollywood claims her for a dance competition slash reality TV show.
    Eliana Ramage September 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
  • His Coconut Grove home, as well as his wages as a city commissioner, have both been protected by the courts and cannot be collected to satisfy the judgment.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Requite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/requite. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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