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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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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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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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
The Death Row legend returned on Thursday (May 14) with his 21st studio album, Iz It a Crime? Michael Saponara, Billboard, 15 May 2025 Even Benson’s former on-screen partner Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), who left the series in 2011, returned in 2021 as a recurring guest star. Emily Blackwood, People.com, 15 May 2025
Noun
How '9-1-1' moves on after Bobby's death: Tears, anger, and surprise returns Angela Bassett thought her '9-1-1' character would be killed off In the laundry room, Athena finds Donnie and Graham trapped under rubble. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 16 May 2025 Series regular Tony Todd, who died last fall, returns for a touching posthumous scene that references another fan favorite character. Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for return
Recent Examples of Synonyms for return
Verb
  • Two years ago, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass laid out an ambitious and expensive goal for her first city budget: restore the size of the Los Angeles Police Department to 9,500 officers.
    David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2025
  • Properly restoring a 280 SL can be an eye-wateringly expensive proposition, as the cars, while simple in appearance, are fastidiously made and require equally fastidious attention to detail when being rebuilt from the ground up.
    Robert Ross, Robb Report, 9 May 2025
Verb
  • And all of them have come against his fastball, a pitch that has yielded a lot of hard contact while getting very little swing-and-miss — including no whiffs Friday.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2025
  • Speeding fines in North Dakota have also increased; driving five miles over the limit in one of the new 80mph stretches will now yield $25 ticket.
    Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
Verb
  • Just as importantly, the Hurricanes twice responded as the Capitals inched within a goal in the third.
    Aaron Beard, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2025
  • The French government responded Wednesday by stating Jones and pro-Putin propagandists like Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova were misrepresenting a tissue as being a bag of blow.
    Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • The introduction to the Paul Maurice playoff Panthers was a wild ride as the team reached Game 7 after trailing three games to one in the series and reverting back to Sergei Bobrovsky as their starting goalie mid-series.
    Steve Svekis, Sun Sentinel, 18 May 2025
  • Without new legislation, the top rate is set to expire and would revert back to 39.6%.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • Zelenskyy named his defense minister to lead the talks in response.
    Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 18 May 2025
  • In response, the city moved to keep Orange Avenue — which would close to vehicles on the weekends — open to traffic, in hopes of ridding the area of the street party officials have long blamed as a contributor to the violence.
    Natalia Jaramillo, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2025
Noun
  • Moody’s Ratings said problematic debt levels far outpacing government revenue led to the downgrade.
    Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
  • Residents want more tax revenue allocated for transit.
    Jack Lavin, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Patients using these applications often pay a subscription fee, which insurance may partly cover, for regular sessions and contact with therapists.
    Phillip Reese, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
  • Between purchasing formal wear and writing checks for graduates, buying teachers’ and coaches’ gifts, paying summer class and clinic registration fees, and making down payments on hotels and booking airfare for summer travel, December seems like a light month!
    Melissa Willets, Parents, 9 May 2025
Verb
  • Grace replies, before ripping into this perfectly nice woman.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2025
  • When asked in an interview about this topic, the First Selectman replied that no one at CSP had responded to her e-mail.
    Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Return.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/return. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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