returns 1 of 2

Definition of returnsnext
present tense third-person singular of return
1
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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3
4
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

returns

2 of 2

noun

plural of return

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
Now, as the Senate returns Monday, Republicans remain bedeviled by the fund and how to move forward. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 1 June 2026 Two weeks later, Colin Farrell returns as Los Angeles private detective John Sugar in Sugar Season 2, which continues in the aftermath of Season 1's explosive finale and plunges deeper into a citywide conspiracy. Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026 Series lead Rebecca Ferguson returns as Juliette after a fiery cliffhanger at the end of Season 2. Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026 Second person returns me, mercifully, to Beginner’s Mind. Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 31 May 2026 Congress returns from recess in June, when lawmakers can continue hashing out details, but the Senate will also have to contend with passing a second reconciliation bill. Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2026 Cerantola returns for a second stint with the Royals. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026 The annual reassurance that every team begins at 0-0, that possibility is renewable, that hope returns every spring. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026 Monique Billings returns Former Valkyries center Monique Billings made her return to the Bay Area. Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Noun
The genuine returns from agentic AI sit in deeper process automation, where multi-step workflows run across systems with minimal human intervention. Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026 In a rare box office feat, the pic — made for under $1 million — also logged a 39% increase in box office returns during its second weekend. Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 31 May 2026 The six-digit PIN blocks fraudulent federal tax returns filed against their SSN, and a new PIN is issued each calendar year. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026 Some of those bets took time to show returns — six years, in the case of his $1 billion investment in Cisco’s Silicon One architecture — but Robbins is now reaping the rewards. Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 29 May 2026 Broken records, viral moments, rivalries, scandals and great returns. Shakeia Taylor, New York Times, 29 May 2026 After saying goodbye to the rest of his fellow supe fighters after Billy Butcher’s funeral, Mother’s Milk returns home to life with his wife and daughter. Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026 The returns, however, are not financial. John Vorwald, Robb Report, 24 May 2026 This summer, An Appalachian Summer Festival returns for its 42nd season, kicking off on June 27 and running until August 1. Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for returns
Verb
  • The deal, announced Monday by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, restores program eligibility to 400% of the federal poverty level, reverses restrictions imposed earlier this year by the Florida Department of Health and provides $75 million in funding for the program moving forward.
    Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 26 May 2026
  • Boeing had been caught in the crossfire of the tariff war for two years; a 200-plane order restores visibility to a supply chain that had been paralyzed by uncertainty.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 26 May 2026
Verb
  • Chicken breasts are simmered gently in chicken broth and fresh thyme sprigs, which yields a flavorful fortified stock that's perfect for another use.
    Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 23 May 2026
  • Real talk, Palmer is one of pop culture’s most incandescent figures, whose natural cadence and sense of self yields an approachably bawdy humor.
    Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 23 May 2026
Verb
  • What’s more, Rick can’t get through to Danny, because the pop star’s brash and aggressive manager (Jack Reynor) refuses to put Rick through, and responds to his claims with threats.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 29 May 2026
  • The staff responds to between 50 and 70 strandings annually, and the typical cause of death is pneumonia, Rust says.
    Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • There are still times Stokes reverts back to his worst tendencies on the basketball court.
    Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Democrats currently hold a 6-5 edge, and the new map will hold until the process reverts back to a bipartisan redistricting commission after the 2030 Census.
    Julia Mueller, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Their responses provide information about your external impact.
    Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
  • The team says the approach marks a significant departure from conventional cyborg insect systems, creating a bio-hybrid framework that works alongside the insect’s natural responses rather than overriding them.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 May 2026
Verb
  • The developer later trimmed the number of homes to 99 and agreed that no building permits will be issued until American Homes 4 Rent pays for and installs a traffic light at nearby Faith and Shearer roads.
    Joe Marusak May 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 May 2026
  • The stadium is being built to make Sacramento a turnkey market for promotion out of the USL, which plays in smaller stadiums of roughly 10,000 fans across the country and pays players a fraction of MLS payrolls.
    Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026
Verb
  • If the interviewer replies that no urgent issues ever come up - take that with a grain of salt.
    Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
  • Abbass plays a housewife named Aida who replies to a casting call for extras to make ends meet.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • His family went without answers for five decades — until genealogy advancements allowed investigators to crack the cold case by linking human remains found at a waste transfer station in Pima County to Sipfle's family, per KVOA and KOLD.
    Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
  • The most painful part of the quarter-long dry spell was that Oklahoma City seemed to have all the answers during San Antonio’s explosive first half.
    William Guillory, New York Times, 31 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Returns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/returns. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.

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