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reprisal Definition

re·prisal (ri prī′zəl)

noun

  1. Historical the forcible seizure of property or subjects in retaliation for an injury inflicted by another country
  2. the act or practice of using force, short of war, against another nation to obtain redress of grievances
  3. injury done, or the doing of injury, in return for injury received; retaliation or an act of retaliation, specif. in war, as the killing of prisoners

Etymology: ME reprisail < MFr reprisaille < It rappresaglia < riprendere, to take back < L reprehendere: see reprehend

reprisal Synonyms

reprisal

n.

retribution, retaliation, paying back, counterattack; see revenge 1.

reprisal Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • fear: Need new ways to get people to give evidence without fearing reprisals.
  • threaten: Erica tells Jim that Janet's group has threatened reprisals for her arrest.
  • suffer: The success of this process depends on witnesses being able to speak the truth about racism without suffering reprisals.
  • avoid: Much of the SOE's sabotage was low-key to avoid massive reprisals by the Nazis.
  • take: Meg cannot convince Bea not to take reprisals for the attack on her.

Preposition: for

  • attack: Nine Polish villages raised in reprisals for attacks on Germans.
  • killing: The recapture of Newry in May 1642 was accompanied by the massacre of soldiers and civilians in reprisal for the killing of Protestants.

Adjective modifier

  • savage: Even the slightest whisper of dissent provoked savage reprisals.
  • brutal: Evil spells and brutal reprisals haunt them as they face their most sinister challenge to date.
  • violent: NATO sources say renegade members of the Kosovo Liberation Army have joined in the violent reprisals.
  • bloody: Fear of bloody reprisals will allow Winnie a free passage toward goal every time she gets the ball.
  • severe: Unsurprisingly she threatened him with severe reprisals should he actually carry out his plans.
  • massive: Much of the SOE's sabotage was low-key to avoid massive reprisals by the Nazis.

Modifies a noun

  • killing: Surely the time has come for both sides to act with restraint, and in the name of humanity stop the constant reprisal killings.
  • prisoner: The reprisal prisoners killed were not taken from the community where the attack on the German soldiers occurred.
  • attack: In particular, he was conscious of the need to avert reprisal attacks against innocent Irish people in Britain.
  • measure: The remainder were finished off on the basis of reprisal measures.
  • action: Many other reprisal actions on the part of his troops were brought to his notice in reports made to him.