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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in yields

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 returns

Verb

The author behind the singular Elizabeth Zott returns with ‘Peck & Peck,’ a sharp, charming satire on the pretensions and perils of literary gatekeepers. — Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 Cedric the Entertainer returns as Uncle Bobby, alongside other franchise favorites, including Karen Malina White as Dijonay Jones, Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey Howzer and Alisa Reyes as LaCienega Boulevardez. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026 Dwayne Johnson returns as the larger-than-life demigod Maui, joining Moana on her sea-faring adventure. — Mya Copeland, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 Baur says once the palms are gone, the native forest returns rapidly. — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026 Perspective returns through movement, humor, curiosity, or a change of scene. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 13 Oct. 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars left tackle Anton Harrison will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee when the team returns from London and will miss multiple games. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 The script was about a last draft-pick NFL player who gets injured on his very first play and returns home to Alaska to become a fisherman. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026 People start biotin and credit it when hair returns naturally. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026

Noun

Those numbers assume the S&P 500 returns more than 10% a year without interruption for 55 years. — Fernanda Tronco, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026 Neither release became a theatrical phenomenon, but each earned more than $40 million worldwide — suggesting even mediocre horror films can get respectable returns when their premises are appealing enough. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026 The tepid box-office returns mean the studio is now expected to lose at least $150 million on the film, including ancillary revenue streams such as premium video-on-demand and streaming, industry sources said. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 Commercial returns were not the sole consideration in tenant selection. — Li Jun, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026 State figures from 2022, for example, show less than 1% of filers reported an income over $1 million, but those returns accounted for 35% of overall income tax revenue. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026 This makes Chieri’s moments of intimacy stand out all the more, as warmth returns in scenes with long-time friend Yuki and new friend Shoya. — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 But when the 17-year-old Russian returns what seems like moments later with a solution to significantly advance the theories outlined in the paper, the professor finds himself with a new research partner. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026 Financial engineering used to carry a large share of private equity returns. — Miki Kapoor, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for returns

Verb

The battery lasts for up to 37 hours on a single charge, and 15-minute fast charge restores about eight hours of power.

— George Yang, PC Magazine, 8 Oct. 2026
By evening, the Moon enters your 9th House and restores your sense of possibility.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of restores

Verb

Natural cosmic ray muography yields only about 1 muon per square centimeter per second.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Any investment that yields these kinds of financial returns, while also delivering new drugs, vaccines and useful knowledge, seems worth holding onto.

— Joshua R. Ehrlich, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of yields

Verb

The next step in capturing electrons in action The achievement could help researchers study how electrons behave in atoms and molecules, including how matter responds to intense X-ray illumination.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
An agent reads a ticket, retrieves a document, queries a database, calls a tool, maybe hands off to a second agent, and only then responds.

— Osman Koc, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of responds

Verb

The decision reverts Missouri’s congressional map to what was used in 2022 and 2024 until voters approve or reject the new map in November.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
The lease limits what can be built on the site and once the agreement is complete, ownership reverts back to the Spanglers.

— Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of reverts

Noun

The neurologist outlined the following five strategies for recognizing these patterns, calming the nervous system and developing healthier responses to stress.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Those types of responses have riled her critics, who have portrayed her as indecisive at best, and an opportunist at worst.

— David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of responses

Noun

As online shopping has become an economic behemoth — Amazon reported over $716 billion in profits in 2025 — logistics centers have become a key component of their success, said Ellie Falcone, a professor of supply chain management at TCU.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2026
The Ellison regime has revealed itself thus far as a shirtsleeve operation, one zeroed in on lowering costs and boosting profits.

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of profits

Verb

So instead of making teams whole each time, the NFL now just pays teams’ travel expenses for their international game under the rationale that every team will lose a home game—and, in turn, home game ticket revenue—during that time.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The result is a politics in which almost everyone agrees that reform is urgently needed, provided someone else pays, and their own group’s advantages remain untouched.

— Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 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