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
- nonreprisal noun
Etymology
Origin of reprisal
1400–50; late Middle English reprisail < Old French reprisaille. See reprise, -al 2
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.
"I'm going to the front and am prepared for any reprisals," he reportedly said.
From BBC
They spoke anonymously out of fear of reprisals by the Taliban, which took back control of Afghanistan following the US troop withdrawal in 2021.
From BBC
But they cannot extinguish the belief that religion keeps alive: that there is something higher than Caesar’s will, something that commands conscience beyond fear of reprisal or political favor.
"They were just children who were barely learning to live. Where they should have been was studying in school, playing," lamented the boy's sister, herself barely 18 and unnamed for fear of reprisals.
From Barron's
Initial reprisals by the Israeli army two years later have led to nearly 70,000 deaths of civilians and combatants, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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.
