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
In May 2025, Peralta-Quintana was charged with intimidating and retaliating against a witness, and he was convicted on those counts as well, the DA said.
—
Laura Fay, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Meatpacking workers at the Colorado plant accused JBS of retaliating against the organizing workers.
—Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
The crude market has been hit by wild volatility since the United States and Israel began striking Iran at the end of last month, with Tehran retaliating by attacking targets across the oil-rich Gulf and effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz.
—Nur Hikmah Md Ali, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026
Ticketmaster is also prohibited from retaliating against a venue that selects another primary ticket distributor, among other requirements.
—Allie Canal, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
In the lawsuit, Live Nation and Ticketmaster are accused of engaging in a variety of anticompetitive practices, including locking venues into long-term exclusive ticketing contracts and retaliating against rivals and venues that seek to use alternatives.
—Josh Sisco, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026
Gulf states have urged Iran to avoid retaliating against them and the likes of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have said the US and Israel cannot use their airspace or territory for any attacks on the Islamic Republic.
—Donato Paolo Mancini, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
The league’s leading goalscorer, Kristýna Kaltounková, was put in the penalty box after retaliating against Jill Saunier for a hit against Micah Zandee-Hart.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and rapidly drove up hostility in the region, with Iran retaliating via attacks against Israel and Gulf states.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 5 Mar. 2026
Laura Fay, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Meatpacking workers at the Colorado plant accused JBS of retaliating against the organizing workers.
—Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
The crude market has been hit by wild volatility since the United States and Israel began striking Iran at the end of last month, with Tehran retaliating by attacking targets across the oil-rich Gulf and effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz.
—Nur Hikmah Md Ali, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026
Ticketmaster is also prohibited from retaliating against a venue that selects another primary ticket distributor, among other requirements.
—Allie Canal, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
In the lawsuit, Live Nation and Ticketmaster are accused of engaging in a variety of anticompetitive practices, including locking venues into long-term exclusive ticketing contracts and retaliating against rivals and venues that seek to use alternatives.
—Josh Sisco, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026
Gulf states have urged Iran to avoid retaliating against them and the likes of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have said the US and Israel cannot use their airspace or territory for any attacks on the Islamic Republic.
—Donato Paolo Mancini, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
The league’s leading goalscorer, Kristýna Kaltounková, was put in the penalty box after retaliating against Jill Saunier for a hit against Micah Zandee-Hart.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and rapidly drove up hostility in the region, with Iran retaliating via attacks against Israel and Gulf states.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliating
avenging
Verb
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But the team wouldn’t mind avenging Saturday’s loss at Marquette, which cost them a regular season championship.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
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The win also carries extra meaning for a program that has rapidly risen under coach Cameron Bradford, avenging a 2023 NorCal semifinal loss to Oakland and sending TKA to its second consecutive NorCal final.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retaliating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliating. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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