as in avenging
to punish in kind the wrongdoer responsible for
retaliated his neighbor's malicious destruction of his flower garden by cutting down the man's prize apple tree
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Recent Examples of retaliating
With the current military conflict between Iran and the United States and Tehran retaliating by closing the Strait of Hormuz to navigation, considered one of the world’s most important oil export routes, gas prices are expected to increase further.
—
Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 2 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit sought a temporary restraining order preventing the board and Cavin from taking any further action in their cases, as well as an injunction restraining Cavin and the board from discriminating against, or retaliating against, Mejia and Smith.
—Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 27 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, the Communications Workers of America union, part of AFL-CIO, has also criticized Nexstar for fighting employees’ efforts to form unions in several markets and retaliating against individual workers for union activism.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
El Mencho was killed during the search and arrest operation conducted by Mexican forces, which led to members of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación retaliating against the government by sowing chaos throughout the region.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
State officials claim federal government is retaliating after failed funding cutoff attempts; feds say surge targets criminal immigrants.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Fleming eventually left the agency and sued the city, accusing Lee of discriminating and retaliating against him for conducting investigations.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 28 Jan. 2026
The ruling prohibits officers from retaliating against anyone peacefully protesting or observing the actions of immigration officers, adding that federal agents must show probable cause or reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime or is interfering with law enforcement operations.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026
But while Nigerian officials were concerned about the tariff rollout’s effect on oil prices — a key driver of the country’s economic health since oil exports account for 90% of its foreign exchange earnings — the government was deliberate about not reacting or retaliating, Oduwole said.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 2 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit sought a temporary restraining order preventing the board and Cavin from taking any further action in their cases, as well as an injunction restraining Cavin and the board from discriminating against, or retaliating against, Mejia and Smith.
—Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 27 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, the Communications Workers of America union, part of AFL-CIO, has also criticized Nexstar for fighting employees’ efforts to form unions in several markets and retaliating against individual workers for union activism.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
El Mencho was killed during the search and arrest operation conducted by Mexican forces, which led to members of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación retaliating against the government by sowing chaos throughout the region.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
State officials claim federal government is retaliating after failed funding cutoff attempts; feds say surge targets criminal immigrants.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Fleming eventually left the agency and sued the city, accusing Lee of discriminating and retaliating against him for conducting investigations.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 28 Jan. 2026
The ruling prohibits officers from retaliating against anyone peacefully protesting or observing the actions of immigration officers, adding that federal agents must show probable cause or reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime or is interfering with law enforcement operations.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026
But while Nigerian officials were concerned about the tariff rollout’s effect on oil prices — a key driver of the country’s economic health since oil exports account for 90% of its foreign exchange earnings — the government was deliberate about not reacting or retaliating, Oduwole said.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliating
avenging
Verb
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In Vertical‘s first trailer for the modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, which premieres April 10 in theaters, Riz Ahmed takes on the titular role of a man avenging his father’s death and taking on his family’s corrupt empire.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
24 Feb. 2026
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In fact, everything the Bruins want to achieve remains in front of them – defending their Big Ten Tournament championship, avenging a 2025 Final Four loss.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retaliating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliating. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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