RETURNING Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

returning

verb

present participle of return

as in restoring

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in yielding

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

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as in responding

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

as in reverting

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

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 returning Harry has cited significant concerns for his family's safety, citing their lack of security on British soil as part of why the family had a falling out and a reason for not returning. —

Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 20 June 2026 How to Prevent Them From Coming Back Eliminating bed bugs is difficult, but not nearly as difficult as keeping them from returning. —

Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 June 2026 Skubal, making his second start since returning from surgery to clean up bone chips in his left elbow, struck out Colson Montgomery with the bases loaded to end the fifth inning and then pointed and yelled at Vasil in the Sox dugout. —

Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026 Local media reported the clashes erupted because of frustrations over the delays in the migrants' returning home. —

Arkansas Online, 20 June 2026 After returning home, put clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks. —

Reeti Malhotra, Sacbee.com, 20 June 2026 Altuve did not go on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning from his oblique injury. —

Chandler Rome, New York Times, 20 June 2026 The film features returning stars Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack, with new voices like Conan O’Brien. —

Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026 Eighty years later, Novak and her cousins are still here—some living in the area as full-time residents, others returning for the summer. —

Katherine Lawless, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for returning

Verb

Last week, Hungary lifted its veto on beginning Ukraine’s accession process after weeks of negotiations with Kyiv on restoring minority rights for ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine.

— Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
Connectivity As Emergency Infrastructure For Abe Diaz, Amazon’s head of disaster relief, restoring communications is a prerequisite for effective response.

— Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026