reverse
opposite or contrary in position, direction, order, or character: an impression reverse to what was intended; in reverse sequence.
with the back or rear part toward the observer: the reverse side of a fabric.
pertaining to or producing movement in a mechanism opposite to that made under ordinary running conditions: a reverse gear; a reverse turbine.
acting in a manner opposite or contrary to that which is usual, as an appliance or apparatus.
noting or pertaining to an image like that seen in a mirror; backward; reversed.
noting or pertaining to printed matter in which what is normally white, as the page of a book, appears as black, and vice versa.
the opposite or contrary of something.
the back or rear of anything.
Numismatics.
the side of a coin, medal, etc., that does not bear the principal design (opposed to obverse).
the side of an ancient coin that was struck by the upper die.
an adverse change of fortune; a misfortune, check, or defeat: to meet with an unexpected reverse.
Machinery.
the condition of being reversed: to throw an engine into reverse.
a reversing mechanism.
Football. a play on offense in which one back running laterally hands the ball to another back who is running in the opposite direction and who then makes either an end run or a cutback.
Bridge. reverse bid.
Printing. printed matter in which areas that normally appear as white are printed in black, and vice versa.
to turn in an opposite position; transpose: The printer accidently reversed two chapters of the book.
to turn in the opposite direction; send on the opposite course.
to turn inside out or upside down.
to change the direction of running of (a mechanism).
to cause (a mechanism) to run in a direction opposite to that in which it commonly runs.
to revoke or annul (a decree, judgment, etc.): to reverse a verdict.
to alter to the opposite in character or tendency; change completely.
to turn in the opposite order: to reverse the process of evolution.
Printing. to print as a reverse.
to shift into reverse gear: The driver drove forward, then reversed.
(of a mechanism) to be reversed.
to turn or move in the opposite or contrary direction, as in dancing.
Bridge. to make a reverse bid.
Origin of reverse
1synonym study For reverse
Other words for reverse
Opposites for reverse
Other words from reverse
- re·vers·ed·ly [ri-vur-sid-lee, -vurst-lee], /rɪˈvɜr sɪd li, -ˈvɜrst li/, adverb
- re·verse·ly, adverb
- re·vers·er, noun
- half-re·versed, adjective
- non·re·verse, adjective, noun
- non·re·versed, adjective
- non·re·vers·ing, adjective
- pre·re·verse, noun, verb (used with object), pre·re·versed, pre·re·vers·ing.
- un·re·versed, adjective
Words that may be confused with reverse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use reverse in a sentence
Amid a reckoning of racism has come a financial one, aimed at reversing decades of underinvestment in communities of color.
Morgan State University, Northern Virginia Community College receive grants for job training programs | Lauren Lumpkin | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostEffects of Earth’s magnetic field — Science News, November 21, 1970Earth’s magnetic field has frequently reversed at intervals of 1 million to 100 million years.
50 years ago, scientists named Earth’s magnetic field as a suspect in extinctions | Jonathan Lambert | November 19, 2020 | Science NewsNo one would even blink at that age difference if the genders were reversed.
Carolyn Hax: The 10-year plan is his brainchild. Her 5-year plan is a child child. | Carolyn Hax | November 19, 2020 | Washington PostIt reverses completely the way the designers perform the function thanks to the artificial intelligence.
Leveraging collective intelligence and AI to benefit society | Jason Sparapani | November 18, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewOne could actually consider it a reverse subscription, since people receive rewards for their patronage.
Although there have been versions recorded where the roles are reversed.
Facing a political backlash, they reversed course in 2011 and announced that the military commission process would be restarted.
Prosecutors Have No Idea When 9/11 Mastermind’s Trial Will Start | Tim Mak | December 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe series also reversed a long trend that saw the character paralyzed by the Joker and confined to a wheelchair for a decade.
Gail Simone’s Bisexual Catman and the ‘Secret Six’ | Rich Goldstein | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFortunes reversed and what was far-fetched yesterday was suddenly closer to fact.
Wrongly Imprisoned for 15 Years Thanks to an Innocence Project | Jacob Siegel | November 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 2013, however, Paul released another budget proposal that reversed course.
Now if we double the last 16, it gives us the date of the second Folio in 32 and 32 reversed gives us the date of the first Folio.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)Pete, after spewing the last hateful molecule away, reversed his tiny fibre engines, and began to draw in.
Old Friends Are the Best | Jack SharkeyAfter the ice passed away the movements were reversed, the northern region rising and the southern sinking down.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerBlood must always tell in England—although in America—if Mrs. Hofer is a type—well, this is the land of reversed theories.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonDeath was what the Marquise expected, since she knew that death would she herself have pronounced had the positions been reversed.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
British Dictionary definitions for reverse
/ (rɪˈvɜːs) /
to turn or set in an opposite direction, order, or position
to change into something different or contrary; alter completely: reverse one's policy
(also intr) to move or cause to move backwards or in an opposite direction: to reverse a car
to run (machinery, etc) in the opposite direction to normal
to turn inside out
law to revoke or set aside (a judgment, decree, etc); annul
(often foll by out) to print from plates so made that white lettering or design of (a page, text, display, etc) appears on a black or coloured background
reverse arms military to turn one's arms upside down, esp as a token of mourning
reverse the charge or reverse the charges to make a telephone call at the recipient's expense
the opposite or contrary of something
the back or rear side of something
a change to an opposite position, state, or direction
a change for the worse; setback or defeat
the mechanism or gears by which machinery, a vehicle, etc, can be made to reverse its direction
(as modifier): reverse gear
the side of a coin bearing a secondary design: Compare obverse (def. 5)
printed matter in which normally black or coloured areas, esp lettering, appear white, and vice versa
(as modifier): reverse plates
in reverse in an opposite or backward direction
the reverse of emphatically not; not at all: he was the reverse of polite when I called
opposite or contrary in direction, position, order, nature, etc; turned backwards
back to front; inverted
operating or moving in a manner contrary to that which is usual
denoting or relating to a mirror image
Origin of reverse
1Derived forms of reverse
- reversely, adverb
- reverser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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