Word of the Day

: March 24, 2022

reciprocate

verb rih-SIP-ruh-kayt

What It Means

Reciprocate means "to do something for or to someone who has done something similar for or to you."

// It was kind of my friend to give me a ride to the airport, and on the flight I was thinking of how to reciprocate the favor.

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reciprocate in Context

"'Our coaches are the type of people you want to play for,' [Brooklyn] Meyer added. 'Like Coach [Ryan] Brasser said in the locker room, the West Lyon girls basketball team isn't just this year's team. It's also past teams and teams in the future.' Brasser reciprocated the compliment, saying that every girl was a quality person, an excellent person and then a good basketball player." — Zach James, The Sioux City (Iowa) Journal, 3 Mar. 2022

Did You Know?

Reciprocate implies a mutual or equivalent exchange or a paying back of what one has received (as in "We appreciate you hosting us and we will reciprocate you for your kindness"). The word comes from Latin reciprocus, meaning "returning the same way."