return 1 of 2

1
as in to restore
to bring, send, or put back to a former or proper place when I'm done reading a book, I always return it to the very shelf I got it from

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Relevance

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2
as in to yield
to produce as revenue this technology stock is expected to return a healthy profit

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3
as in to respond
to speak or write in reaction to a question or to another reaction when I asked him to sit down to dinner, he returned that he would come when he was good and ready

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
as in to revert
to go back to a previous and usually lower state or level vowed to do anything to keep the recovering alcoholic from returning to his dissolute ways

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

return

2 of 2

noun

1
2
as in revenue
an increase usually measured in money that comes from labor, business, or property if we buy better equipment, we'll be able to make the product faster, thus getting a better return on our investment

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in proceeds
the amount of money left when expenses are subtracted from the total amount received the return on each unit sold has increased since we streamlined the production process

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb return contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of return are reciprocate, requite, and retaliate. While all these words mean "to give back usually in kind or in quantity," return implies a paying or giving back.

returned their call
return good for evil

In what contexts can reciprocate take the place of return?

Although the words reciprocate and return have much in common, 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 requite a more appropriate choice than return?

In some situations, the words requite and return are roughly equivalent. However, requite implies a paying back according to one's preference and often not equivalently.

requited her love with cold indifference

When is it sensible to use retaliate instead of return?

The synonyms retaliate and return are sometimes interchangeable, but retaliate usually implies a paying back of injury in exact kind, often vengefully.

the enemy retaliated by executing their prisoners

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 return
Verb
Osman returns with his fifth saga in his bestselling cozy mystery series, this time surrounding a wedding. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025 Last week the hacks finally returned Read’s SUV, but with its electronics system totally wrecked. Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
But until Watson and Reed's return, Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks look to pick up the slack and help Jordan Love lead the passing game. Trevor Squire, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025 Well, setting aside the film, does this return feel like a vindication, like the world has finally caught up with you? Jem Aswad, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for return
Recent Examples of Synonyms for return
Verb
  • Afterwards, McClintock said on X that the power to impose tariffs should be restored to Congress.
    Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The ridiculously nourishing formula leaves you glistening but never greasy, with the coconut, açai, and brazil nut oils restoring suppleness to a level that pleased our testers as much as its tropical, coconutty scent and mess-free pump.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Tanner Gordon — who yielded Machado’s last home run on Sunday in Denver, one of three off him in that game — responded to the first-inning homer by retiring the next 16 batters.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Giolito yielded two runs, one earned, on five hits.
    Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • At least three of the drones were shot down, Warsaw said, with Polish F-16 and Dutch F-35 fighter jets scrambled to respond.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
  • To respond to a volatile inflation crisis, should the CEO of Burger & Bites, a fictional fast-food chain, introduce dynamic pricing to its restaurants?
    Elie Ofek, Harvard Business Review, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Even the president jumped in when the chain reverted back to its old logo.
    Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Aurora made several driverless runs earlier this year before reverting back to safety driver operations at the request of their truck manufacturer partner; the company’s status as a driverless operation is somewhat murky.
    Richard Bishop, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The final mix includes botanicals, minerals, and vitamins such as holy basil for stress response, curcumin to promote a healthy immune response, konjac root to address oil production, and probiotics to optimize the microbiome.
    Megan McIntyre, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Unlike traditional applications requiring instant responses, AI operations can tolerate delays—training waits minutes while applications like ChatGPT work perfectly, delivering responses over hundreds of milliseconds.
    Daniel Kearney, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Cracker Barrel, however, pointed to improving revenue growth in 2025 in an interview with Fortune.
    Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
  • However, the passenger projections and the revenues the bullet train would supposedly collect were pure fantasy, verging on fraud.
    Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In 2022, things came to a head when the company not only failed to pay its vendors but also ceased communication with their customers.
    Amanda Lauren, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The buyers also agree to pay those growers a small premium that is passed down to their workers.
    Max Blau, ProPublica, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Smith replied that private schools must submit renewal packets every year before they are approved to continue participation in the accounts program, and that the agency compares the new tuition rates against the older rates.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The Kennedy Center's press office did not immediately reply to NPR's request for comment on the dismissal and a query about the future of jazz and Millennium Stage programming.
    Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Return.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/return. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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