retaliate
verb (used without object)
to return like for like, especially evil for evil.
retaliated
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past participleof retaliate.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof retaliate.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
retaliateverb (used without object)to return like for like, especially evil for evil.
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.
Canada retaliated by slapping the US with its own 50% "dollar-for-dollar" tariffs.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
The pre-dawn strike came on the anniversary according to the Jewish calendar of the October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest-ever day for Israel which retaliated with a devastating offensive in Gaza.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
After being hit with the Smoot-Hawley tariff in 1930, Canada elected a protectionist government that promptly retaliated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
District Judge Rita F. Lin of the Northern District of California said in her decision that the government had illegally retaliated against Anthropic, deeming it a supply-chain risk “for constitutionally protected expressive activities.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
But my mother, being more imaginative, retaliated with an assault upon my sensibilities that crushed me with the moral horror involved in taking a life.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
