retaliate
/ri'tælieit/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To respond to an attack or harmful action by inflicting a similar one in return: To take action against someone because they have harmed you, typically with the intent of causing equivalent harm.
- To seek revenge or retribution for a perceived wrong: To act in return for an injury or offense.
Examples of Usage
- Verb:
- The company threatened to retaliate with tariffs if the new regulations were imposed.
- When he was insulted, he chose not to retaliate.
- The nation vowed to retaliate for the unprovoked attack on its border.
Advanced Usage
- "to retaliate against": To direct a retaliatory action towards a specific person, group, or entity.
- Workers feared the management would retaliate against them for organizing the strike.
- "to retaliate for": To take action in response to a specific event or act.
- The military action was meant to retaliate for the embassy bombing.
Variants and Related Words
- Retaliation (n): The action of retaliating.
- The attack was an act of retaliation.
- Retaliatory (adj): Having the nature of or constituting retaliation.
- The government imposed retaliatory sanctions.
Synonyms
- Retaliate: Avenge, reciprocate, strike back, get even, pay back.
- Note: "Avenge" often implies seeking justice for a wrong done to another, while "retaliate" focuses more on the act of returning harm.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Strike back: To attack or retaliate in response to an attack.
- After losing the first set, the champion struck back to win the match.
- Get back at (someone): (Informal) To retaliate against someone.
- She was always trying to get back at her critics.
Related Idioms
- An eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth): The idea that punishment should be equivalent to the crime committed; a principle often associated with retaliation.
- He didn't believe in forgiveness; his philosophy was strictly an eye for an eye.
- Give as good as one gets: To retaliate with equal force or effectiveness in a fight or argument.
- In the debate, she gave as good as she got.
Verb
- make a counterattack and return like for like, especially evil for evil
- The Empire strikes back
- The Giants struck back and won the opener
- The Israeli army retaliated for the Hamas bombing
- take revenge for a perceived wrong
- He wants to avenge the murder of his brother