re·tal·i·ate

[ri-tal-ee-eyt] verb, re·tal·i·at·ed, re·tal·i·at·ing.
verb (used without object)
1.
to return like for like, especially evil for evil: to retaliate for an injury.
verb (used with object)
2.
to requite or make return for (a wrong or injury) with the like.

Origin:
1605–15; < Late Latin retāliātus (past participle of retāliāre), equivalent to re- re- + tāli(s) such, of such a nature + -ātus -ate1

re·tal·i·a·tive, re·tal·i·a·to·ry [ri-tal-ee-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] , adjective
re·tal·i·a·tor, noun
un·re·tal·i·at·ed, adjective
un·re·tal·i·at·ing, adjective
un·re·tal·i·a·tive, adjective
un·re·tal·i·a·to·ry, adjective


1. counter, repay, reciprocate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To retaliate
00:10
Retaliate is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
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World English Dictionary
retaliate (rɪˈtælɪˌeɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  (intr) to take retributory action, esp by returning some injury or wrong in kind
2.  (intr) to cast (accustations) back upon a person
3.  rare (tr) to avenge (an injury, wrong, etc)
 
[C17: from Late Latin retāliāre, from Latin re- + tālis of such kind]
 
retali'ation
 
n
 
re'taliative
 
adj
 
re'taliatory
 
adj
 
re'taliator
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

retaliate
1610s, from pp. stem of L. retaliare (see retaliation).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Managers, supervisors or employees who retaliate or attempt to retaliate will
  be subject to discipline.
Failing that, several governments have vowed to take their own legal action or
  retaliate with countervailing trade measures.
If the birds find that their eggs have been destroyed or removed from the nest,
  the cowbirds retaliate, the study says.
Retaliate against a whistleblowers, whether an employee or an applicant.
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