retaliate

American  

[ri-tal-ee-eyt] / rɪˈtæl iˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

• retaliates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• retaliated,
  past participle,  past
• retaliating
  present participle

1. to return like for like, especially evil for evil.

   to retaliate for an injury.

   Synonyms:

   reciprocate, repay, counter

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verb (used with object)

• retaliates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• retaliated,
  past participle,  past
• retaliating
  present participle

1. to requite or make return for (a wrong or injury) with the like.

retaliate British  

/ rɪˈtælɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to take retributory action, esp by returning some injury or wrong in kind

2. (intr) to cast (accustations) back upon a person

3. rare (tr) to avenge (an injury, wrong, etc)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retaliation
  noun
• retaliator
  noun
• retaliative
  adjective
• retaliatory
  adjective
• unretaliated
  adjective
• unretaliating
  adjective
• unretaliative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• retaliating
  present
• retaliated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• retaliate
  simple
• retaliates
  simple
• have retaliated
  perfect
• has retaliated
  perfect
• am retaliating
  progressive
• are retaliating
  progressive
• is retaliating
  progressive
• have been retaliating
  perfect progressive
• has been retaliating
  perfect progressive

Past

• retaliated
  simple
• had retaliated
  perfect
• was retaliating
  progressive
• were retaliating
  progressive
• had been retaliating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will retaliate
  simple
• will have retaliated
  perfect
• will be retaliating
  progressive
• will have been retaliating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of retaliate

First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin retāliātus (past participle of retāliāre ), equivalent to re- re- + tāli(s) “such, of such a nature” + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

To retaliate means to get back at someone, usually through a counterattack. “Ned got hit with a cream pie, then he retaliated by throwing a bucket of Jell-O at his attackers.” When you see the prefix re in a word, it usually means back. To return, remember, regurgitate (yuck) — all of these verbs relate to doing something back. At the beginning of retaliate it means back, and the taliate means to pay, so what you’re talking about here is payback. If you’re doing something terrible to someone just because you want to, that’s doesn’t mean to retaliate. But, if you feel they’ve done something bad to you, and you’re just getting them back? That’s when you retaliate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retaliate retaliates retaliated retaliating

Carney vowed to retaliate with dollar-for-dollar tariffs on U.S. goods, which are scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 8.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

But although he may have groused privately, Bill Clinton did not retaliate against her; Reno remained at the Justice Department throughout his two terms.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

For Gourinchas, however, the latest trade turmoil -- which has seen major US trading partners retaliate with tariffs of their own -- has provided opportunities, too.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

"I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate," Trump told Axios, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

He would threaten chimps older and stronger than he was, because he knew that if they dared to retaliate, his mother, his sister, or one of his brothers would rush to help him.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

Spain’s move retaliates against restrictions Italy imposed after some 72,000 migrants breached borders into the Spanish territory of Ceuta.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

As Iran retaliates against its oil-rich Gulf Arab neighbours, the benchmark price for a barrel of crude soared beyond $100 for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine four years ago.

From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026

Yet at every turn, Deborah finds some excuse to backstab Ava, allegedly out of some version of respect, and Ava retaliates by sabotaging herself and her boss.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2025

Starbucks has long denied it retaliates against workers organizing.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 6, 2023

“You don’t answer very many of them,” Bailey retaliates.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Grande’s stanbase quickly retaliated, saying that those commenting on her weight were bringing back body-shaming and tabloid-era hypercriticism.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

Fain retaliated against Boyer after Boyer declined to approve the bonus for the training center staff, the monitor said in the June 25 report.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Iran said it retaliated against a U.S. base.

From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026

Beijing retaliated by forbidding Chinese companies from ordering Boeing jets -- or receiving those already ordered.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

But as Lefty began to feel left out, he retaliated with tradition.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

This has drawn sharp pushback, although Brazil's Vice President Geraldo Alckmin told a press conference Tuesday that Brazil will seek to resolve the issue through negotiations instead of retaliating.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

BGC says it has strong policies protecting whistleblowers from retaliation and denies retaliating against Andriesz.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Treasury yields declined as U.S. data indicated stability in labor markets and Washington stopped short of retaliating against Iranian attacks on ships.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

And we would be right to laugh or clap back more often, retaliating against those towns that take themselves too seriously.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026

Biting his tongue to prevent himself retaliating, he sat down in front of the boxes and pulled one toward him.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• reciprocate