revert

American  

[ri-vurt] / rɪˈvɜrt /

verb (used without object)

• reverts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reverted,
  past participle,  past
• reverting
  present participle

1. to return to a former habit, practice, belief, condition, etc..

   It wasn't so much that things had never changed, it was that people had reverted instead of moving forward.

   Synonyms:

   retrogress

2. Law. (of assets) to go back to or return to the former owner or to their heirs.

   After a certain number of years, ownership of the bridge reverts to the public.

3. Biology. to return to an earlier or primitive type.

   Synonyms:

   retrogress

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verb (used with object)

• reverts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reverted,
  past participle,  past
• reverting
  present participle

1. to undo or roll back.

   The new version is a mess, but we should be able to revert the edits.

noun

1. an act or instance of returning to a former habit, practice, belief, condition, etc.; reversion.

   Now we are seeing a revert to a simpler writing style that grabs our attention instantly.

2. a person or thing that goes back to a previous state or condition, especially a previous religion (often used attributively).

   We offer a course for revert Muslims.

   She was a revert who left the church and came back a decade later.

3. Law. a reversion.

verb phrase

1. revert to

   1. to return or go back to a previous state or condition.

      After that, I stopped riding the bus and reverted to my old car-driving ways.

   2. to go back in thought or discussion.

      He constantly reverted to stories from his childhood.

revert British  

verb

1. to go back to a former practice, condition, belief, etc

   she reverted to her old wicked ways

2. to take up again or come back to a former topic

3. biology (of individuals, organs, etc) to return to a more primitive, earlier, or simpler condition or type

4. to reply to someone

   we will revert to you with pricing and other details

5. property law (of an estate or interest in land) to return to its former owner or his heirs when a grant, esp a grant for the lifetime of the grantee, comes to an end

6. to resume characteristics that were thought to have disappeared

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noun

1. a person who, having been converted, has returned to his former beliefs or Church

Usage

Since back is part of the meaning of revert , one should not say that someone reverts back to a certain type of behaviour

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reverter
  noun
• revertibility
  noun
• nonrevertible
  adjective
• nonrevertive
  adjective
• revertible
  adjective
• revertive
  adjective
• unreverted
  adjective
• unrevertible
  adjective
• unreverting
  adjective
• revertively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• reverting
  present
• reverted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• revert
  simple
• reverts
  simple
• have reverted
  perfect
• has reverted
  perfect
• am reverting
  progressive
• are reverting
  progressive
• is reverting
  progressive
• have been reverting
  perfect progressive
• has been reverting
  perfect progressive

Past

• reverted
  simple
• had reverted
  perfect
• was reverting
  progressive
• were reverting
  progressive
• had been reverting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will revert
  simple
• will have reverted
  perfect
• will be reverting
  progressive
• will have been reverting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of revert

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English reverten, from Old French revertir, Anglo-French reverter, from Latin revertere “to turn back,” from re- re- + vertere “to turn” ( cf. verse)

Explanation

While revert means to return to something earlier or to go back, it's often used wrongly in combination. If you're buying the older version of the game, you might say you're "reverting back," which is like saying "go back back." Revert has been around since the early 14th century, and it has changed little in meaning from the original "turn back" and "return." You can revert to a simpler way of life or revert to bad behavior. Software users might revert to an older version of a program with fewer bugs. Though rare in modern use, some international English speakers do use "revert back" for "reply" in writing and e-mail, but most of the time, using revert with "back" is redundant, or repetitive.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

revert reverts reverted reverting

After a rollercoaster four years under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, could England revert to a more conservative style of play under Root?

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

General Atomics, the company that builds the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Arresting Gear for the Ford class, said the decision to revert to steam “warrants careful reconsideration.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The rights to “The Walking Dead” revert to AMC Global Media when the term ends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Cyclical businesses don’t tend to revert to normal, often reverting to losses, and so he argues, “the time to buy a cyclical business is when they’re making losses, not when they’re making super profits.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

After Vajra had revealed its true form, it seemed reluctant to revert to the size of the ball.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

Second, it is unclear whether the Strait of Hormuz reverts to an international waterway—the transit for a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil—or whether it remains under the control of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026

The company this week instead published a Gauge report for February that reverts to the earlier methodology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026

Ultimately, equity bulls are hoping the U.S. economy reverts to the “Goldilocks” environment that persisted for much of the 2010s.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 9, 2026

Immediately following the titular character’s death, “Hamnet” reverts to the stale, sluggish dynamic between Agnes and William.

From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2025

But on some of these dish-drying nights he reverts to what I consider to be his true self.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Perez hasn’t publicly explained why he has reverted to the coach he let go in 2013.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Tuchel reverted to a back five and made a number of defensive-minded substitutions in the closing stages as Lionel Messi inspired a dramatic comeback.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

The strategy bought the market at that point and held until the market reverted to that mean.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

Only a few days after the pool was refilled, though, it reverted what it always is: a filthy slime pit that nevertheless does an adequate job of its primary objective: reflecting.

From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026

As each kiss was bestowed, the fairy reverted to her former size amid dazzling sparks and darted away.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

In other words, yields finally are reverting to normal after the low-rate era following the 2008 financial panic and European sovereign crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Some analysts argue he’s now reverting to his true nature.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

Gyllenhaal has done the latter, it seems, reverting to flattened characters who don’t require bold artistic leaps or personal attachment, and thus don’t cause heartbreak if a film underperforms.

From Salon ● May 27, 2026

Assemblyman Avelino Valencia has introduced state legislation that could require any sale or new lease of the stadium property be conditioned upon the team reverting to the Anaheim Angels name.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026

Pantalaimon was fully awake before she was, trying the shape of an arctic fox before reverting to his favorite ermine.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• degenerate
• go back
• hark back
• react
• regress
• turn back