revenge
Americanverb (used with object)
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to exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit.
He revenged his murdered brother.
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to take vengeance for; inflict punishment for; avenge.
He revenged his brother's murder.
verb (used without object)
noun
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the act of revenging; retaliation for injuries or wrongs; vengeance.
- Synonyms:
- requital
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something done in vengeance.
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the desire to retaliate; vindictiveness.
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an opportunity to retaliate or gain satisfaction.
noun
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the act of retaliating for wrongs or injury received; vengeance
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something done as a means of vengeance
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the desire to take vengeance or retaliate
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a return match, regarded as a loser's opportunity to even the score
verb
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to inflict equivalent injury or damage for (injury received); retaliate in return for
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to take vengeance for (oneself or another); avenge
Usage
What does revenge mean? Revenge is the act or process of retaliating against or punishing someone for some kind of harm that they caused or wrongdoing that they did (whether real or perceived).It can also refer to the result of such efforts, as in After all this time, I will have revenge against those who have wronged me!Revenge often involves an attempt to get even by inflicting similar harm to the person who initially harmed the person seeking revenge. Revenge has several other synonyms that each have different shades of meaning, including retribution, retaliation, and reprisal. But more than these words, revenge implies that such retaliation is personal and motivated by a deep anger and perhaps an obsessive desire to get even.Revenge is often planned out over a period of time—hitting someone back right after they hit you could be referred to as retaliation, but probably wouldn’t be called revenge. An informal synonym is payback—getting someone back for something they did to you, especially after time has passed.The related word vengeance can be used as an even more intense synonym for revenge, but it also commonly refers to a desire for revenge, as in He was filled with vengeance. Less commonly, revenge can be used as a verb meaning to get revenge, as in I will revenge the theft of my sister’s necklace or I will revenge myself for the crimes committed against me. The related word avenge is much more commonly used in this way. To avenge is to get revenge or to inflict some form of punishment in retaliation for harm or wrongdoing done by someone else. However, avenge is more associated with justice and doesn’t always imply the same level of anger that revenge does.The adjective revengeful is used to describe someone who is determined to get revenge or someone who is inclined to seek revenge—someone who is vindictive. A more commonly used synonym is vengeful.Example: Revenge never ends well, and becoming obsessed with it is like letting your enemy defeat you yet again.
Related Words
See avenge. Revenge, reprisal, retribution, vengeance suggest a punishment, or injury inflicted in return for one received. Revenge is the carrying out of a bitter desire to injure another for a wrong done to oneself or to those who are felt to be like oneself: to plot revenge. Reprisal, formerly any act of retaliation, is used specifically in warfare for retaliation upon the enemy for its (usually unlawful) actions: to make a raid in reprisal for one by the enemy. Retribution suggests just or deserved punishment, often without personal motives, for some evil done: a just retribution for wickedness. Vengeance is usually wrathful, vindictive, furious revenge: implacable vengeance.
Other Word Forms
- nonrevenge noun
- nonrevenger noun
- prerevenge noun
- revengeless adjective
- revenger noun
- revenging adjective
- revengingly adverb
- unrevenged adjective
- unrevenging adjective
Etymology
Origin of revenge
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English revengen (verb), from Middle French, Old French revengier, from re- re- + vengier “to avenge”; avenge
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wagner: My biggest recurring mistake was revenge trading — getting stopped out of a trade, then jumping back in hours later, convinced I’d just mistimed the entry, only to get stopped out again.
From MarketWatch
While Howe refuted talk of "revenge" after a controversial stoppage-time penalty was awarded against his side on their last visit to the French capital in 2023, the visitors certainly won't need any added motivation.
From BBC
“It used to be just us, me and Norman and Pelicarnassus. But now, it’s all ‘How are we going to take revenge on the lizard?
From Literature
His other lawyer, Larry Stein, said the actor was being accused as an act of revenge after the children had been terminated from the series, which angered their mother.
From BBC
The complaint also detailed a police interview with Busfield in which he suggested that the boys’ mother might have sought “revenge” on the director for “not bringing her kids back for the final season.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
