retaliate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(intr) to take retributory action, esp by returning some injury or wrong in kind
-
(intr) to cast (accustations) back upon a person
-
rare (tr) to avenge (an injury, wrong, etc)
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing retaliate
The Alchemist
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Grade 9, List 6
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Power Prefix: re-
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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.
China has threatened to retaliate if the rules are adopted.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
“I don’t want him to retaliate with a bad review.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
I have waited before asking him for the money because I don’t want him to retaliate with a bad review.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
Hurel cautions against writing off Iran's ability to retaliate either directly or through vigilante hacker groups.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
Woody stepped in front of Wes and urged him not to retaliate.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
