tit for tat

American  

noun

1. with an equivalent given in retaliation, as a blow for a blow, repartee, etc..

   He answered their insults tit for tat.

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tit for tat British  

noun

1. an equivalent given in return or retaliation; blow for blow

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tit for tat Cultural  

1. Giving back exactly what one receives: “If you hit me, I'll do the same to you; it's tit for tat.”

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tit for tat Idioms  

1. Repayment in kind, retaliation, as in If he won't help with the beach clean-up, I won't run a booth at the bake sale; that's tit for tat. This term is believed to be a corruption of tip for tap, which meant “a blow for a blow.” Its current form dates from the mid-1500s.

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Etymology

Origin of tit for tat

First recorded in 1550–60; perhaps variant of earlier tip for tap

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tit for tat

“Both Canada and the U.S. have inventories, and so those have to be sold first — and this tit for tat has been going on for some time, so inventories might be higher than normal.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

He praised Powell’s avoidance of engaging in tit for tat with the president.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

In this tit for tat, though, California’s threats to respond have thus far proved ineffectual.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025

Whatever the specifics of this latest tit for tat, there is a more fundamental priority for both sides: deterrence – a more solid certainty that strikes on its own soil will not happen again.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2024

It weer only tit for tat; he chucked me in, and I chucked him in, and it’s all on account o’ they zammon.—There goes another.

From Nic Revel A White Slave's Adventures in Alligator Land by William H. C. Groome