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retaliate

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Retaliate is defined as to respond to a wrong by returning the wrong with an equally wrong action.

(verb)

An example of to retaliate is for a person to punch someone who has hit him.

See retaliate in Webster's New World College Dictionary

intransitive verb retaliated, retaliating

to return like for like; esp., to return evil for evil; pay back injury for injury

Origin: < LL retaliatus, pp. of retaliare, to require, retaliate < L re-, back + talio, punishment in kind, akin to Welsh tāl, compensation

transitive verb

to return an injury, wrong, etc. for (an injury, wrong, etc. given); requite in kind

Related Forms:

retaliation noun
retaliative adjective or retaliatory

See retaliate in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb re·tal·i·at·ed, re·tal·i·at·ing, re·tal·i·ates

verb, intransitive

To return like for like, especially evil for evil.

verb, transitive

To pay back (an injury) in kind.

Origin:

Origin: Late Latin retāliāre, retāliāt-

Origin: : Latin re-, re-

Origin: + Latin tāliō, punishment in kind; see telə- in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

re·talˌi·aˈtion noun

re·talˈi·aˌtive, re·talˈi·a·toˌry (-ə-tôrˌē, -tōrˌē) adjective

re·talˈi·aˌtor noun

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