return
pronunciation
How to pronounce return in British English:
UK [rɪˈtɜːn]
How to pronounce return in American English:
US [rɪˈtɜːrn]
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- Noun:
- document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability
- a coming to or returning home
- the occurrence of a change in direction back in the opposite direction
- getting something back again
- the act of returning to a prior location
- the income arising from land or other property
- happening again (especially at regular intervals)
- a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
- the key on electric typewriters or computer keyboards that causes a carriage return and a line feed
- a reciprocal group action
- a tennis stroke that returns the ball to the other player
- (American football) the act of running back the ball after a kickoff or punt or interception or fumble
- the act of someone appearing again
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- Verb:
- come back to place where one has been before, or return to a previous activity
- give back
- go back to a previous state
- go back to something earlier
- bring back to the point of departure
- return in kind
- make a return
- answer back
- be restored
- pay back
- pass down
- elect again
- be inherited by
- return to a previous position; in mathematics
- give or supply
- submit (a report, etc.) to someone in authority
Word Origin
- return
- return: [14] The origins of return are in Vulgar Latin. There, Latin tornāre (source of English turn), which originally meant ‘turn on a lathe’, was combined with the prefix re- ‘back’ to produce *retornāre ‘turn back’, which passed via Old French retorner into English as return.=> turn
- return (v.)
- early 14c., "to come back, come or go back to a former position" (intransitive), from Old French retorner "turn back, turn round, return" (Modern French retourner), from re- "back" (see re-) + torner "to turn" (see turn (v.)). Transitive sense of "report officially" is early 15c.; "to send back" is mid-15c.; that of "to turn back" is from c. 1500. Meaning "to give in repayment" is 1590s; that of "give back, restore" c. 1600. Related: Returned; returning.
- return (n.)
- late 14c., "act of coming back," also "official report of election results," from Anglo-French retorn, Old French retorne, verbal noun from retorner (see return (v.)). In ball games from 1833; specifically in tennis from 1886. Meaning "a yield, a profit" is recorded from 1620s. Meaning "a thing sent back" is from 1875. Many happy returns of the day was used by Addison (1716). Mailing return address attested from 1884.
Antonym
Example
- 1. Officials assured worried fans of liu 's return .
- 2. At christ 's return to earth , he will establish a millennial kingdom .
- 3. When they return from the club , betty disappears .
- 4. Methods may return values of any type .
- 5. They return very little to your emotional health .