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
Relevance
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
as in to repay
to make a return for
I fear my love for her will never be requited
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Employers ought to requite that trust by mandating that their staff who work indoors with other employees are vaccinated for Covid-19.
—Zachary M. Seward, Quartz, 30 July 2021
Instead, the inciting incidents are all common or garden-variety romantic mishaps — infidelity, unplanned pregnancies, feelings undeclared lest they're not requited.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2020
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
Employers ought to requite that trust by mandating that their staff who work indoors with other employees are vaccinated for Covid-19.
—Zachary M. Seward, Quartz, 30 July 2021
Instead, the inciting incidents are all common or garden-variety romantic mishaps — infidelity, unplanned pregnancies, feelings undeclared lest they're not requited.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for requite
Verb
-
If your core isn’t doing its job, other muscles have to try and compensate.—
Danielle Zickl,
SELF,
24 Apr. 2025
-
There have been long periods of suffering experienced by some that all the gold of the country could not compensate for.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
On a remote asteroid mining operation, a grieving Mechanist gets a new companion and has a chance to avenge herself against the Shaper assassin who killed her husband.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Could avenging that particular defeat be enough to bring about a bigger vibe shift?—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The rest of the £637m refinancing was a £112m loan from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA), of which £50m has since been repaid.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
-
The quickest, but hardest, is to repay the loans in full.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Of the $16,000, Burns reimbursed the school for more than $7,000 and provided documentation for the rest after school officials met with Burns in late January about the audit’s findings.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The plans, which are privately run but reimbursed with taxpayer money, will see payments increase by 5.1 percent under a final Trump administration rule, for a total increase of about $30 billion.—
Nathaniel Weixel,
The Hill,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
For football fans who have been having withdrawals every Sunday (Thursday and Mondays too), the real action is still months away, but at least tomorrow’s NFL Draft can satisfy the itch a little while longer.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Each sandwich is crafted with 100 percent real butter, the best real cheese, fresh-baked bread and real garlic for a crispy, cheesy, satisfying bite every time.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Requite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/requite. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share