reprisal
(in warfare) retaliation against an enemy, for injuries received, by the infliction of equal or greater injuries.
an act or instance of retaliation.
the action or practice of using force, short of war, against another nation, to secure redress of a grievance.
the forcible seizure of property or subjects in retaliation.
Origin of reprisal
1synonym study For reprisal
Other words for reprisal
Other words from reprisal
- non·re·pris·al, noun
Words that may be confused with reprisal
- reprisal , reprise
Words Nearby reprisal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use reprisal in a sentence
Declining to use his real name out of fear of reprisal, Ibrahim describes a dark and gruesome odyssey.
The young Syrian-Palestinian cartoonist extends a vital tradition—but one where reprisal can mean violence death.
Hani Abbas Extends the Vital Tradition of Political Cartooning in the Mideast | Patrick Hilsman | October 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe attack was allegedly meant to serve as a reprisal for American participation in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia.
Did the U.S. Make a Mistake In Seizing Anas al-Liby? | Jamie Dettmer | October 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTOnly … in Russia, those qualities in a journalist marked a man for savage reprisal rather.
Every new attack invites a fresh reprisal of often disproportionate intensity.
Is Israel Immoral to Retaliate Against Gaza? | Thane Rosenbaum | November 24, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Council of Caledonia, in great indignation, issued letters of mark and reprisal against Spanish vessels.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington MacaulayCousin would have tried a shot at the renegade if not for fear of instant reprisal on the girl.
A Virginia Scout | Hugh PendexterDespite the justice of the reprisal, it went against his nature to kill an unarmed enemy.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman | Eugne SueIn accordance with their usual practice, they claimed that the British used the gas first, and that they used it only in reprisal.
Ypres and the Battles of Ypres | UnknownIt was by way of reprisal that the Germans destroyed the chateau of the district, which belonged to me.
Maupassant Original Short Stories (180), Complete | Guy de Maupassant
British Dictionary definitions for reprisal
/ (rɪˈpraɪzəl) /
(often plural) retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime, such as the execution of prisoners of war, destruction of property, etc
the act or an instance of retaliation in any form
(formerly) the forcible seizure of the property or subjects of one nation by another
Origin of reprisal
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for reprisal
An act by which a nation seeks, short of war, to redress a wrong committed against it by another nation. Boycotts and blockades are common forms of reprisal.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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