reprisal
Americannoun
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(in warfare) retaliation against an enemy, for injuries received, by the infliction of equal or greater injuries.
- Synonyms:
- redress
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an act or instance of retaliation.
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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.
noun
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(often plural) retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime, such as the execution of prisoners of war, destruction of property, etc
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the act or an instance of retaliation in any form
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(formerly) the forcible seizure of the property or subjects of one nation by another
Related Words
See revenge.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reprisal
1400–50; late Middle English reprisail < Old French reprisaille. See reprise, -al 2
Explanation
A reprisal is an act of retaliation, especially one committed by one country against another. If you attack your enemy's village and cause lots of damage, expect a reprisal. Reprisal comes from the French for taking back, and used to mean the seizure of property as a compensation for some earlier loss. Now we use it more in the sense of a retaliatory attack. When Germany bombed London during World War II, the British reprisals included the bombing of Berlin. Reprisal doesn't always have to be about war; you can use it for any act of retaliation.
Vocabulary lists containing reprisal
The Constitution of the United States
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 8–13
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Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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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.
Many Sikh community members “choose to remain silent because of a fear of reprisal to them, their body, their business, and to their loved ones in the United States or India,” said Naindeep Singh.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
After having lived through decades of war in their own country, and having escaped the possibility of reprisal and persecution there, the Afghan evacuees are now caught in another nightmare.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
His pending asylum hearing had been delayed, but according to this immigrant, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, the agents arrested him anyway for being “late” to court.
From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026
But these days, boosters who spend even more lavishly than Shapiro routinely help athletic departments fund college-athlete compensation without fear of reprisal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
The only ways in which I felt that my feelings could go outward without fear of rude rebuff or searing reprisal was in writing or reading, and to me they were ways of living.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
