RETURNS Synonyms: 127 Similar and Opposite Words

returns 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of return

as in restores

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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as in yields

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

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as in responds

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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as in reverts

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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returns

2 of 2

noun

plural of return

as in responses

something spoken or written in reaction especially to a question I was moved by my grandfather's lengthy return to my casual question about his experiences in the Vietnam War

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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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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 returns

Verb

On Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium the league’s true jefe, Patrick Mahomes, returns from a lost season and torn ACL to quarterback the Kansas City Chiefs in an early test against the Broncos, their AFC West rivals. — Michael Silver, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Mahomes returns after an intensive rehabilitation from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season. — Neil Nakahodo, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026 Screenplay comes from Greg Hall and George Russo, who also returns as Sean. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026 Next week, Zach Cregger returns just over a year after his bizarro Weapons became a centerpiece of the 2025 horror conversation. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2026 The Aquadome Market returns with four new food stands, plus Crème de la Crêpe and Simply Pressed juice bar. — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026 The production’s creative team, led by the inexhaustibly inventive director José Luis Valenzuela, returns us to a world where the dead are owed sacred duties and the living are fearful to renege on this basic human responsibility. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 When the cast finally returns months later for interviews, the women seem unsure how to talk about what happened at all. — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026 Lorena Muñoz’s adaptation of Belén López Peiró’s autobiographical bestseller follows Lourdes, who returns years after childhood abuse by her respected uncle-in-law to seek justice. — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Noun

Five years ago, self-storage was one of the most profitable segments of the real-estate industry, with higher annual returns than multifamily housing, office complexes, and retail stores. — David Owen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 But, overall, this didn't seem to be primarily a story of rich capitalists investing money and then sitting on their keisters while their capital generated returns for them. — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026 History suggests an investor can be right about a technology’s long-term impact and still be disappointed by investment returns if lofty expectations embedded in market prices prove difficult to exceed. — Alex Shahidi, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026 Kicker Riley Patterson was forced to make two tackles on Dylan Laube kickoff returns of 50 and 45 yards. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026 Weston said the economics of home delivery have evolved, including higher delivery fees and changes to returns policies. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026 But if the early returns are an indication, the Big Ten will deliver surprises in the weeks ahead. — Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026 To help extend the time before the cancer returns or progresses. — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 9 Sep. 2026 But many investors see a change of trajectory as Wall Street returns from holiday to a September with a number of events with the potential to move markets. — Frank Holland, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for returns

Verb

Doctors treat patients with intravenous fluids and a drug called atropine, which restores a normal heart rhythm.

— Prayan Pokharel, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Rescinding it restores the flexibility to make thoughtful decisions based on the needs of each forest and each community.

— Dan Peck, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of restores

Verb

In my experience, attempting to shortcut this dynamic with a single high-profile placement yields diminishing returns.

— Jessica Schaefer, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
These form a special kind of set called a number field, because adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing rationals (except for dividing by zero) yields a number that is also in the set.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of yields

Verb

As a young coach, my biggest struggle is knowing early on whether a player responds to hard coaching or a softer touch.

— Jayson Jenks, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Magnesium supports insulin signaling by helping to activate enzymes inside your cells that regulate how your body uses glucose and responds to insulin.

— Teresa Maalouf, Verywell Health, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of responds

Verb

The school is owned by the city of Pembroke Pines, and a lease says the property reverts back to the city in 2037.

— Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2026
As light can selectively target the fluid, scientists were able to print microscopic conductive patterns that completely vanish once exposed to open air, which reverts the gel back into non-conductive liquid clusters.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 June 2026

Definition of reverts

Noun

Prospective clients should ask whether a reputation firm monitors these responses and how AI search fits into its broader approach.

— Scott Keever, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
As part of the course, students can use AI models for help on assignments but have to upload transcripts of their prompts and the AI’s responses.

— Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of responses

Noun

Meta supposedly favors Chinese resellers, because, without them, Meta would be shut out from billions in profits from the lucrative Chinese ad market, since its platforms are banned there.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026
Recipients with projects exceeding US$150 million were required to share profits with the government above a certain threshold and provide plans for childcare for facility and construction workers.

— Mariana Mazzucato, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of profits

Verb

Giu pays Father Joe a visit and gets infected with the same virus after being lured into the confession box.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2026
In her 2015 memoir, Steinem recounts her dynamic, nomadic career as a writer and activist, and pays vivid homage to the people, places, and conversations that shaped her.

— Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of pays

Verb

The automation should end when the customer replies, books, declines, becomes unqualified or needs a decision from a person.

— Michael Fox, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
The video then shows Duff taking off her earpiece and saying something to her bandmate, who replies with an unsure gesture.

— Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026