reverse

1 of 3

adjective

re·verse ri-ˈvərs

Synonyms of reverse next

: opposite or contrary to a previous or normal condition

reverse order

b(1)

: having the back presented to the observer or opponent

(2)

: made with one's back to the basketball net

a reverse layup

: coming from the rear of a military force

: acting, operating, or arranged in a manner contrary to the usual

: effecting reverse movement

reverse gear

: so made that the part which normally prints in color appears white against a colored background

reversely adverb

reverse

2 of 3

verb

reversed; reversing

transitive verb

: to turn completely about in position or direction

: to turn upside down : invert

: to cause to take an opposite point of view

reversed herself on the issue

: negate, undo: such as

: to overthrow, set aside, or make void (a legal decision) by a contrary decision

: to change to the contrary

reverse a policy

: to undo or negate the effect of (something, such as a condition or surgical operation)

had his vasectomy reversed

: to cause to go in the opposite direction

especially : to cause (something, such as an engine) to perform its action in the opposite direction

intransitive verb

: to turn or move in the opposite direction

the count's waltzing … consisted … of reversing at top speed—

Agatha Christie

: to put a mechanism (such as an engine) in reverse

reverser noun

reverse

3 of 3

noun

: something directly contrary to something else : opposite

: an act or instance of reversing

especially : defeat, setback

suffered financial reverses

: the back part of something

especially : the side of a coin or currency note that is opposite the obverse

a(1)

: a gear that reverses something

also : the whole mechanism brought into play when such a gear is used

(2)

: movement in reverse

: an offensive play in football in which a back moving in one direction gives the ball to a player moving in the opposite direction

Phrases

reverse field or reverse one's field

: to make a sudden reversal in direction or opinion

in reverse

: in an opposite manner or direction

Choose the Right Synonym for reverse

reverse, transpose, invert mean to change to the opposite position.

reverse is the most general term and may imply change in order, side, direction, meaning.

reversed his position on the trade agreement

transpose implies a change in order or relative position of units often through exchange of position.

transposed the letters to form an anagram

invert applies chiefly to turning upside down or inside out.

the number 9 looks like an inverted 6

Example Sentences

Adjective Can you say the alphabet in reverse order? The drug is used to lower blood pressure but may have the reverse effect in some patients. Verb The runners reversed their direction on the track. There is no way to reverse the aging process. Can anything reverse the trend toward higher prices? Reverse the “i” and “e” in “recieve” to spell “receive” correctly. My mother and I reversed our roles. Now I'm taking care of her. We're going to reverse our usual order and start with Z. Noun The building appears on the reverse of the coin. Please sign your name on the reverse. I put the car in reverse and backed out of the garage. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Purdue 10, Maryland 9 Braden Smith has 6 points on 3-of-3 shooting after a reverse layup. —

Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Feb. 2023 That’s when Townsend scored on a reverse layup and later knocked down that crucial 3-pointer off of the pass from Wiliams. —

Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2023 For the faithful, the best news is that WRX will continue to offer the option of a geezer-stick: a taut, tough six-speed manual transmission with a stitched leather shifter knob, reverse-gear lockout ring, pleather gusset, the works. —

Dan Neil, WSJ, 13 Jan. 2022 At the Mason Atia presentation, models had a reverse French mani, using Emilie Heathe polishes to create a golden crescent at the nail beds. —

ELLE, 17 Feb. 2023 Though no camera footage was captured showing the suspect with a weapon, Meriden police sent out a reverse 911 call warning area residents that the suspect may be armed. —

Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 Feb. 2023 The Wildcats will play the same foes in reverse order with a 9 p.m. game against Cal on Thursday at Haas Pavilion, then a 6 p.m. contest at Stanford on Saturday. —

Michelle Gardner, The Arizona Republic, 7 Feb. 2023 Cupcake shop Gigi’s closed in December 2021 after a driver plowed forward instead of placing the car in reverse one afternoon. —

Dallas News, 31 Jan. 2023 The story is told in reverse chronological order over 20 years, so Linklater and his actors are shooting parts of the film every year for nearly two decades. —

Zack Sharf, Variety, 20 Jan. 2023

Verb

Ditto the Alley Backing, where trucks must reverse — again, with no camera — and stop as close as possible to an imagined wall. —

Lane Sainty, The Arizona Republic, 24 Feb. 2023 That's 1 rep. Complete 4 reps, then reverse directions and repeat. —

Addison Aloian, Women's Health, 23 Feb. 2023 This is the core of Donald Trump’s twisted form of populism: seizing on the plight of those left behind to advance politically without actually doing anything to reverse their fortunes. —

Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 23 Feb. 2023 Metformin is just one of many medications, including other old ones and some brand new inventions, that academic researchers and biotech startups are exploring to slow, stop, or perhaps even reverse aging. —

Sonya Collins, Fortune Well, 23 Feb. 2023 The most important step is to make a consolidated plan of action to drive incremental positive mix or reverse bad trends. —

Avy Punwasee, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023 Schwartz personally petitioned the court in August to reverse the liability finding. —

John Lynch, Arkansas Online, 19 Feb. 2023 Moscow is desperate for a symbolic victory to reverse months of humiliating defeats during Ukrainian counteroffensives in Kharkiv and Kherson. —

Steve Hendrix And Serhii Korolchuk, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Feb. 2023 But at the moment, no treatment can stop or reverse the disease itself. —

Corinne Purtillstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2023

Noun

The same happens in reverse, slowing down charging. —

Tom Krisher And Mark Thiessen, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Mar. 2023 The same happens in reverse, slowing down charging. —

Tom Krisher And Mark Thiessen, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Mar. 2023 Fury is a somewhat more legitimate professional boxer, though his career is similar to Paul’s — but in reverse. —

Kevin Draper, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2023 The X6 M also offers standard Maneuver Assistant, which can store and reproduce movements even in reverse; drivers can also execute this function on their smartphones. —

Austin Irwin, Car and Driver, 22 Feb. 2023 But in most of the state, the scheme worked in reverse: air conditioners had to run longer. —

Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2023 Princeton student Edward Tian has already created one such tool: GPTZero, which adopts thinking similar to OpenAI’s tool but uses deep learning in reverse to detect ChatGPT. —

IEEE Spectrum, 21 Feb. 2023 There is, for example, a totalizing gimmick to this story: In winking contrast to its title, the movie travels in reverse. —

K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 16 Feb. 2023 But in most of the state, the scheme worked in reverse: air conditioners had to run longer. —

Kimi Robinson, The Arizona Republic, 15 Feb. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reverse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English revers, from Anglo-French, from Latin reversus, past participle of revertere to turn back — more at revert

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of reverse was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Reverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverse. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

reverse

1 of 3 adjective

re·verse ri-ˈvərs

: opposite or contrary to a previous or normal condition

reverse order

: acting or working in a manner opposite to the usual

: bringing about backward movement

reverse gear

reversely adverb

reverse

2 of 3 verb

reversed; reversing

: to turn completely about or upside down or inside out

: to overthrow or set aside a legal decision by an opposite decision

: to change to the contrary

reverse a policy

: to go or cause to go in the opposite direction

: to put (as a car) into reverse

: to undo the effect of (as a condition)

face creams that promise to reverse the signs of aging

reverser noun

reverse

3 of 3 noun

: something directly opposite to something else

: an act or instance of reversing

especially : a change for the worse

: the back part of something

: a gear that reverses something

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English revers "opposite or contrary to a previous or normal condition," from early French revers (same meaning), from Latin reversus "turned back," from revertere "to turn back," from re- "again" + vertere "to turn" — related to converse, versatile, vertical, vice versa