retaliate — to hurt someone or do something harmful to someone because they have done or said something harmful to you
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to hurt someone or do something harmful to someone because they have done or said something harmful to you
Pronunciation (IPA): /rɪˈtæliˌeɪt/
Example Sentences
- When my cat knocked over my coffee, I retaliated by not giving her treats for a whole hour.
- The company decided to retaliate against the hostile takeover attempt.
- She retaliated to his prank by putting salt in his coffee instead of sugar.
retaliate
VERB[/rɪˈtæliˌeɪt/]
to hurt someone or do something harmful to someone because they have done or said something harmful to you
When the rival team scored unfairly, our captain vowed to retaliate in the next match.
Calculate revenge, then appreciate its true cost!
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'retaliare', derived from 're-' (back) and 'talion' (retaliation/equivalent punishment), ultimately related to 'talis' meaning 'such' or 'of like kind'. The concept comes from the principle of 'lex talionis' (law of retaliation).
Breakdown
re- (back, again) + taliate (from Latin talion, retaliation) + -ate (verb suffix) = retaliate (to return harm in kind)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“When my cat knocked over my coffee, I retaliated by not giving her treats for a whole hour.”
“The company decided to retaliate against the hostile takeover attempt.”
“She retaliated to his prank by putting salt in his coffee instead of sugar.”
“The government warned it would retaliate if attacked.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related
Want to master 19,000+ words?
Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.