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
Iran had vowed to retaliate after accusing Israel of bombing its diplomatic complex in Syria earlier this month.
—
Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Tehran must retaliate for a deadly attack on its consular compound in Damascus last week because the U.N. Security Council failed to condemn the strike or take any action against Israel, Iran’s U.N. mission said Thursday.
—USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel and hold the country’s ally, the U.S., answerable.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Carano sued the studio in February, arguing that Disney unlawfully retaliated against her for expressing her politics, as opposed to Disney’s preferred ideological views.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
The United States believes Iran may retaliate against Israel in coming days, according to two sources familiar with intelligence on the matter.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
In particular, Trump chose not to retaliate against Iran for its massive drone attack on Aramco facilities in November 2019 and acquiesced in Israel’s repressive policy toward the Palestinians.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
The Tesla boss retaliated by calling for Disney to sack its CEO and is funding a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against Disney filed by actress Gina Carano.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
The French were horrified and retaliated ruthlessly, shooting hundreds of Algerian men without trial.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Tehran must retaliate for a deadly attack on its consular compound in Damascus last week because the U.N. Security Council failed to condemn the strike or take any action against Israel, Iran’s U.N. mission said Thursday.
—USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel and hold the country’s ally, the U.S., answerable.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Carano sued the studio in February, arguing that Disney unlawfully retaliated against her for expressing her politics, as opposed to Disney’s preferred ideological views.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
The United States believes Iran may retaliate against Israel in coming days, according to two sources familiar with intelligence on the matter.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
In particular, Trump chose not to retaliate against Iran for its massive drone attack on Aramco facilities in November 2019 and acquiesced in Israel’s repressive policy toward the Palestinians.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
The Tesla boss retaliated by calling for Disney to sack its CEO and is funding a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against Disney filed by actress Gina Carano.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
The French were horrified and retaliated ruthlessly, shooting hundreds of Algerian men without trial.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'retaliate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near retaliate
Cite this Entry
“Retaliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retaliate. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share