retaliate
verb
re·tal·i·ate
ri-ˈta-lē-ˌāt 
retaliated; retaliating
: to return like for like
especially
: to get revenge
: to repay in kind
retaliate an injury
Examples of retaliate in a Sentence
After the company announced plans to reduce benefits, the union threatened to retaliate by calling for a strike.
retaliated his neighbor's malicious destruction of his flower garden by cutting down the man's prize apple tree
Recent Examples on the Web
Hezbollah began cross-border drone and missile attacks a day after the Hamas attack, and Israel frequently retaliated.
—
Mike Brest, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Jan. 2025
This cannot be waved away by the spurious notion that Joe Biden and the U.S. Justice Department is retaliating against Adams’ legitimate criticism of Biden’s poor management of the migrant crisis.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
In the complaint, which was published by the New York Times in mid-December, Lively also alleges that Baldoni and his production studio, Wayfarer, then retaliated against her by hiring a crisis publicity firm to smear her reputation during the movie's promotional cycle this summer.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024
Did the Russian threat to retaliate against the US diminish?
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for retaliate 
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Mike Brest, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Jan. 2025
This cannot be waved away by the spurious notion that Joe Biden and the U.S. Justice Department is retaliating against Adams’ legitimate criticism of Biden’s poor management of the migrant crisis.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
In the complaint, which was published by the New York Times in mid-December, Lively also alleges that Baldoni and his production studio, Wayfarer, then retaliated against her by hiring a crisis publicity firm to smear her reputation during the movie's promotional cycle this summer.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024
Did the Russian threat to retaliate against the US diminish?
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for retaliate
Dictionary Entries Near retaliate
Cite this Entry
“Retaliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retaliate. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
retaliate
verb
re·tal·i·ate
ri-ˈtal-ē-ˌāt
retaliated; retaliating
: to return (as an injury) in kind : get revenge
Legal Definition
retaliate
intransitive verb
re·tal·i·ate
ri-ˈta-lē-ˌāt
retaliated; retaliating
: to act in revenge
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