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reprisal
[ ri-prahy-zuhl ]
noun
- (in warfare) retaliation against an enemy, for injuries received, by the infliction of equal or greater injuries.
Synonyms: redress
- 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.
reprisal
/ rɪˈpraɪzəl /
noun
- 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
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.
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Other Words From
- nonre·prisal noun
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of reprisal1
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Synonym Study
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Example Sentences
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.
The attack was allegedly meant to serve as a reprisal for American participation in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia.
Only … 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.
The Council of Caledonia, in great indignation, issued letters of mark and reprisal against Spanish vessels.
Cousin would have tried a shot at the renegade if not for fear of instant reprisal on the girl.
Despite the justice of the reprisal, it went against his nature to kill an unarmed enemy.
In accordance with their usual practice, they claimed that the British used the gas first, and that they used it only in reprisal.
It was by way of reprisal that the Germans destroyed the chateau of the district, which belonged to me.
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