. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English returnen, retornen, from Anglo-Norman returner, from Old French retourner, retorner, from Medieval Latin retornare (“to turn back”), from re- + tornare (“to turn”). Compare beturn.
Pronunciation
Verb
return (third-person singular simple present returns, present participle returning, simple past and past participle returned)
- (intransitive) To come or go back (to a place or person).
Although the birds fly north for the summer, they return here in winter.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 58:The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.
1942, “'I Came Through; I Shall Return'”, in The Advertiser:"I came through and I shall return," General MacArthur declared when he spoke at Terowie of the beleagured Philippines.
1963, Margery Allingham, “Meeting Point”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 232:As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.
- (intransitive) To go back in thought, narration, or argument.
To return to my story […]
- (intransitive) To recur; to come again.
Winter returns every year.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To turn back, retreat.
1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book V, by
William Caxton], published
31 July 1485,
→OCLC; republished as H
Oskar Sommer, editor,
Le Morte Darthur , London:
David Nutt,
,
1889,
→OCLC:
‘I suppose here is none woll be glad to returne – and as for me,’ seyde Sir Cador, ‘I had lever dye this day that onys to turne my bak.’- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- (transitive, obsolete) To turn (something) round.
1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum xiij”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book X, by
William Caxton], published
31 July 1485,
→OCLC; republished as H
Oskar Sommer, editor,
Le Morte Darthur , London:
David Nutt,
,
1889,
→OCLC:
Whan Kyng Marke harde hym sey that worde, he returned his horse and abode by hym.- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- (transitive) To place or put back something where it had been.
Please return your hands to your lap.
- (transitive) To give something back to its original holder or owner.
You should return the library book within one month.
- To give in requital or recompense; to requite.
- (transitive) To reciprocate (a visit or telephone call).
Hello, I'm just returning your call. What did you want to talk about?
- (transitive) To take back something to a vendor for a complete or partial refund.
Yeah, it's $600,000 but, if it doesn't work, you can always return it. As long as it's undamaged and in the original packaging, I'll give you a full refund.
- (tennis) To bat the ball back over the net in response to a serve.
The player couldn't return the serve because it was so fast.
- (card games) To play a card as a result of another player's lead.
If one players plays a trump, the others must return a trump.
- (cricket) To throw a ball back to the wicket-keeper (or a fielder at that position) from somewhere in the field.
- (transitive) To say in reply; to respond.
to return an answer; to return thanks; "Do it yourself!" she returned.
1897 October 16, Henry James, chapter XII, in What Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co., →OCLC, page 132:“Ah my good friend, I do look out,” the young man returned while Maisie helped herself afresh to bread and butter.
- (intransitive, computing) To relinquish control to the calling procedure.
- (transitive, computing) To pass (data) back to the calling procedure.
This function returns the number of files in the directory.
- (transitive, dated) To retort; to throw back.
to return the lie
1681, [John Dryden], “To the Reader”, in Absalom and Achitophel. A Poem. , 3rd edition, London: J T and are to be sold by W. Davis , published 1682, →OCLC:And now, if you are a Malicious Reader, I expect you ſhould return upon me, that I affect to be thought more Impartial than I am.
- (transitive) To report, or bring back and make known.
to return the result of an election
- (British, by extension) To elect according to the official report of the election officers.
- (fencing) To give a thrust or cut after parrying a sword-thrust.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Terms related to the verb "return"
Translations
to come or go back
- Aklanon: uli'
- Arabic: رَجَعَ (ar) (rajaʕa), عَادَ (ar) (ʕāda)
- Egyptian Arabic: رجع (regeʕ)
- Hijazi Arabic: رِجِع (rijiʕ)
- Armenian: վերադառնալ (hy) (veradaṙnal)
- Aromanian: tornu (roa-rup)
- Assamese: উভত (ubhot)
- Azerbaijani: qayıtmaq (az), geri dönmək
- Bashkir: ҡайтыу (qaytıw), кире килеү (kire kilew), кире китеү (kire kitew), кире барыу (kire barıw)
- Belarusian: варо́чацца impf (varóčacca), вярну́цца pf (vjarnúcca), вярта́цца impf (vjartácca), зварача́цца impf (zvaračácca), звярну́цца pf (zvjarnúcca)
- Bengali: ফেরা (bn) (phera)
- Bulgarian: връ́щам се (bg) impf (vrǎ́štam se), въ́рна се pf (vǎ́rna se)
- Burmese: ပြန် (my) (pran)
- Catalan: tornar (ca)
- Cebuano: uli
- Cherokee: ᎢᎦᎷᎦ (igaluga)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 返去 (faan1 heoi3)
- Eastern Min: 转 (duon)
- Mandarin: 返回 (zh) (fǎnhuí), (come back) 回來/回来 (zh) (huílai), (go back) 回去 (zh) (huíqu), 歸/归 (zh) (guī)
- Cornish: dehweles
- Czech: vrátit se (cs) pf, vracet se impf
- Dalmatian: tornuar
- Danish: gå tilbage, vende tilbage, returnere (da)
- Dutch: terugkomen (nl), terugkeren (nl)
- Esperanto: reveni
- Estonian: naasma
- Evenki: мучу- (muçu-)
- Finnish: palata (fi)
- French: revenir (fr), retourner (fr), s’en retourner (fr)
- Friulian: tornâ
- Galician: volver (gl)
- Georgian: დაბრუნება (dabruneba)
- German: zurückkehren (de), zurückkommen (de)
- Greek: γυρίζω (el) (gyrízo)
- Ancient Greek: ἐπανέρχομαι (epanérkhomai)
- Haitian Creole: tounen
- Hawaiian: hoʻi
- Hebrew: חָזַר (he) (khazar)
- Hindi: लौटना (hi) (lauṭnā)
- Hungarian: visszatér (hu), visszautazik (hu), hazautazik (hu)
- Icelandic: skila (is)
- Ido: retroirar (io)
- Indonesian: balik (id), membalik (id), pulang (id)
- Ingrian: tulla takas (literally “come back”), männä takas (literally “go back”)
- Interlingua: retornar
- Irish: fill
- Istriot: turnà
- Italian: tornare (it)
- Japanese: 戻る (ja) (もどる, modoru), 帰る (ja) (かえる, kaeru)
- Javanese: walik, bali (jv), mulih
- Kazakh: қайту (kk) (qaitu)
- Korean: 돌아가다 (ko) (doragada), 돌아오다 (ko) (doraoda) (come back)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: گەڕاندنەوە (gerrandnewe), ھاتنەوە (hatnewe)
- Northern Kurdish: vegerîn (ku)
- Ladino: tornar atras
- Lao: ກັບຄືນ (kap khư̄n), ເມືອ (mư̄a)
- Latin: revertor (la), regredior, redeō (la) (go back), reveniō (come back), remeo, rebito
- Lithuanian: grįžti (lt), sugrįžti (lt)
- Lombard: tornà (lmo)
- Lü: ᦗᦸᧅ (poak)
- Malay: kembali (ms), pulang (ms)
- Manx: tar er-ash
- Maori: hoki, waihape
- Mazanderani: درسّن (daressan), دگردسّن (degardessan, dagerdessan)
- Nahuatl: iloti
- Nanai: мочого- (močogo-)
- Neapolitan: turnà
- Norman: r'vénîn
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: returnere, komme tilbake
- Occitan: tornar (oc)
- Old English: ġeċierran eft
- Old Javanese: walik, wali, pulih
- Old Norse: ganga aptr
- Persian: برگشتن (fa) (bargaštan), بازگشتن (fa) (bâzgaštan)
- Polish: wracać (pl) impf, wrócić (pl) pf
- Portuguese: voltar (pt), retornar (pt), regressar (pt)
- Quechua: chayanpuy, kutiy
- Romanian: întoarce (ro)
- Romansch: turnar, turner, tuornar
- Russian: возвраща́ться (ru) impf (vozvraščátʹsja), возврати́ться (ru) pf (vozvratítʹsja), верну́ться (ru) pf (vernútʹsja)
- Sardinian: torràe, torrài, torrare
- Shan: please add this translation if you can
- Shor: нанарға (nanarğa)
- Sicilian: turnari (scn)
- Slovak: vracať sa impf, vrátiť sa pf, navrátiť sa pf (literary)
- Slovene: (please verify) vrniti se
- Somali: noqosho
- Spanish: volver (es), regresar (es)
- Swahili: kurudi (sw), kurudia (prepositional form)
- Swedish: återvända (sv), gå tillbaka
- Tagalog: bumalik
- Tausug: uwi
- Thai: กลับมา (glàp maa), กลับ (th) (glàp)
- Turkish: geri dönmek (tr), kayıtmak (tr)
- Ugaritic: 𐎘𐎁 (ṯb)
- Ukrainian: поверта́тися impf (povertátysja), поверну́тися pf (povernútysja), верта́тися impf (vertátysja), верну́тися pf (vernútysja), вороча́тися impf (voročátysja), заверта́тися impf (zavertátysja), заверну́тися pf (zavernútysja)
- Urdu: لوٹا (lauṭnā)
- Venetian: tornar (vec)
- Vietnamese: về (vi) (𧗱), trở lại (vi) (𧿨吏), trở về (vi) (𧿨𧗱)
- Welsh: dychwelyd (cy)
- Zazaki: peyser şiyen
|
to go back in thought, narration, or argument
- Armenian: վերադառնալ (hy) (veradaṙnal)
- Bashkir: ҡайтыу (qaytıw)
- Bulgarian: връщам се (vrǎštam se)
- Danish: komme tilbage til, vende tilbage til, tilbagevende
- Dutch: teruggaan (nl), terugkeren (nl)
- Finnish: palata (fi)
- Japanese: 戻る (ja) (もどる, modoru)
- Latin: redeo (la), revenio, regredior, revertor (la), remeo
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: komme tilbake
- Persian: بازگشتن (fa) (bâzgaštan)
- Polish: cofać (pl) impf, cofnąć (pl) impf, wycofywać (pl) impf, wycofać (pl) pf
- Portuguese: voltar (pt), retornar (pt), regressar (pt)
- Russian: возвраща́ться (ru) impf (vozvraščátʹsja), возврати́ться (ru) pf (vozvratítʹsja), верну́ться (ru) pf (vernútʹsja)
- Slovene: (please verify) vrniti se
- Spanish: volver (es)
- Swedish: återvända (sv)
- Tagalog: bumalik
- Turkish: geri dönmek (tr)
- Zazaki: peyser arden
|
to turn (something) round
to put something back where it had been
— see put back
to give something back to its original holder or owner
- Arabic: أَرْجَعَ (ar) (ʔarjaʕa), أَعَادَ (ar) (ʔaʕāda), رَدَّ (ar) (radda)
- Hijazi Arabic: رَجَّع (rajjaʕ)
- Moroccan Arabic: ردّ (redd)
- Armenian: վերադարձնել (hy) (veradarjnel)
- Azerbaijani: qaytarmaq (az)
- Bashkir: ҡайтарыу (qaytarıw), кире ҡуйыу (kire quyıw), кире һалыу (kire halıw)
- Belarusian: зварача́ць impf (zvaračácʹ), звярну́ць pf (zvjarnúcʹ), вярта́ць impf (vjartácʹ), вярну́ць pf (vjarnúcʹ)
- Bengali: দেয়া (bn) (deẏa)
- Bulgarian: връ́щам (bg) impf (vrǎ́štam), въ́рна pf (vǎ́rna)
- Catalan: tornar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 畀返 (bei2 faan1)
- Mandarin: 送還/送还 (zh) (sònghuán), 退回 (zh) (tuìhuí), 歸還/归还 (zh) (guīhuán)
- Czech: vrátit (cs)
- Danish: returnere (da), give tilbage
- Dutch: teruggeven (nl)
- Esperanto: redoni (eo)
- Finnish: palauttaa (fi)
- French: rendre (fr), retourner (fr)
- Friulian: tornâ, rindi
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: zurückgeben (de)
- Greek: επιστρέφω (el) (epistréfo)
- Ancient: ἀποδίδωμι (apodídōmi)
- Hawaiian: hoʻihoʻi
- Hebrew: הֶחֱזִיר (hekhezir), הֵשִׁיב (he) (heshív)
- Hindi: वापस देना (vāpas denā)
- Hungarian: visszaad (hu)
- Icelandic: skila (is)
- Italian: restituire (it), rendere (it)
- Japanese: 戻す (ja) (もどす, modosu), 返す (ja) (かえす, kaesu)
- Kapampangan: ablas
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: گەڕاندنەوە (gerrandnewe)
- Latin: reddō (la), restituō (la), redhibeō
- Malay: memulangkan (ms)
- Maori: whakahoki
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: tilbakelevere, returnere
- Old English: āġiefan
- Oromo: deebisuu
- Persian: برگرداندن (fa) (bargardândan), بازگرداندن (fa) (bâz-gardândan)
- Polish: zwracać (pl) impf, zwrócić (pl) pf, oddawać (pl) impf, oddać (pl) pf
- Portuguese: devolver (pt), retornar (pt), restituir (pt)
- Quechua: kutichiy
- Romanian: restitui (ro), înapoia (ro), returna (ro)
- Russian: возвраща́ть (ru) impf (vozvraščátʹ), возврати́ть (ru) pf (vozvratítʹ), верну́ть (ru) pf (vernútʹ)
- Slovak: vracať impf, vrátiť pf, navrátiť pf (literary)
- Slovene: vrniti
- Spanish: devolver (es)
- Swedish: återlämna (sv)
- Tagalog: isauli, ibalik
- Turkish: iade etmek (tr)
- Ukrainian: поверта́ти impf (povertáty), поверну́ти pf (povernúty), верта́ти impf (vertáty), верну́ти pf (vernúty)
- Vietnamese: trả (vi), trả lại (vi)
- Walloon: rinde (wa), ridner (wa)
- Welsh: edfryd, adfer (cy)
|
to take something back to a retailer for a refund
— see take back
to give in requital or recompense; to requite
tennis: to bat the ball back over the net in response to a serve
card games: to play a card as a result of another player's lead
cricket: to throw a ball back to the wicket-keeper
to say in reply; to respond
computing: to relinquish control to the calling procedure
computing: to pass back (data) to the calling procedure
to report, or bring back and make known
to elect according to the official report of the election officers
Translations to be checked
Noun
return (countable and uncountable, plural returns)
- The act of returning.
I expect the house to be spotless upon my return.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, pages 12–13:I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railroad station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town. I was completely mystified at such an unusual proceeding.
1976, Reports of Cases Determined in the Courts of Appeal of the State of California, page 423:[…] of the existence or nonexistence of parental intent to abandon a subject minor child, whether the best interests and welfare of such minor child will be served by taking custody from the parents, and whether return of a child to the parents would be detrimental to such child.
- A return ticket.
Do you want a one-way or a return?
- An item that is returned, e.g. due to a defect, or the act of returning it.
Last year there were 250 returns of this product, an improvement on the 500 returns the year before.
- An answer.
a return to one's question
- An account, or formal report, of an action performed, of a duty discharged, of facts or statistics, etc.; especially, in the plural, a set of tabulated statistics prepared for general information.
election returns; a return of the amount of goods produced or sold
1942 May-June, Charles E. Lee, “The Brampton Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 140, relating to an election in 1837:The other returns having come in, the result of the poll, that Sir James Graham had been superseded by Major Aglionby, was declared at Carlisle soon after 11 a.m.
- Gain or loss from an investment.
It yielded a return of 5%.
1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. , 2nd edition, London: Francis Ashe , →OCLC:from the few hours we spend in prayer and the exercises of a pious life, the return is great and profitable
2012 April 22, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 West Brom”, in BBC Sport:Liverpool have now won only five of their 17 home league games this season. It is a poor return for a team of Liverpool's pedigree and resources but, once again, Kenny Dalglish's team were the instigators of their own downfall as chance after chance went begging.
2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68:Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.
- (taxation, finance) A report of income submitted to a government for purposes of specifying exact tax payment amounts; a tax return.
Hand in your return within 90 days of the end of the tax year.
- (computing) A carriage return character.
- (computing) The act of relinquishing control to the calling procedure.
- (computing) A return value: the data passed back from a called procedure.
- A return pipe, returning fluid to a boiler or other central plant (compare with flow pipe, which carries liquid away from a central plant).
The boiler technician had to cut out the heating return to access the safety valve.
- A short perpendicular extension of a desk, usually slightly lower.
- (American football) The act of catching a ball after a punt and running it back towards the opposing team.
- (cricket) A throw from a fielder to the wicket-keeper or to another fielder at the wicket.
- (architecture) The continuation in a different direction, most often at a right angle, of a building, face of a building, or any member, such as a moulding; applied to the shorter in contradistinction to the longer.
A facade of sixty feet east and west has a return of twenty feet north and south.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
act of returning
- Arabic: عَوْدَة f (ʕawda)
- Egyptian Arabic: رجوع m (ruguuʕ)
- Azerbaijani: qayıdış, geri dönmə, dönüş
- Breton: distro (br) m or f
- Bulgarian: връщане (bg) n (vrǎštane)
- Catalan: tornada (ca) f, retorn (ca) m
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 歸還/归还 (zh) (guīhuán)
- Czech: návrat (cs) m
- Danish: tilbagevænding c, retur (da) c
- Esperanto: reveno, reiro
- Finnish: paluu (fi), palaaminen (fi)
- French: retour (fr) m
- Galician: volta (gl) f, retorno (gl) m, vida (gl) f
- German: Rückkehr (de) f
- Greek: επιστροφή (el) f (epistrofí)
- Hebrew: החזרה
- Hungarian: visszatérés (hu), visszaérkezés (hu), megérkezés (hu), hazaérkezés (hu), hazatérés (hu), visszajövetel (hu), hazajövetel (hu)
- Italian: ritorno (it) m
- Japanese: 復帰 (ja) (ふっき, fukki), 返却 (ja) (へんきゃく, henkyaku), 帰還 (ja) (きかん, kikan)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: گەڕانەوە (ckb) (gerranewe)
- Latin: reditus m, regressus m, revertersio f, reversio f, fructus (la) m
- Maori: hokianga, hokinga, waihapenga
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: retur m
- Nynorsk: retur m
- Old English: edċierr m
- Persian: بازگشت (fa) (bâzgašt), برگشت (fa) (bargašt)
- Polish: powrót (pl) m
- Portuguese: retorno (pt) m, volta (pt) f, regresso (pt)
- Romanian: reîntoarcere (ro) f, înapoiere (ro) f, revenire (ro) f
- Russian: возвраще́ние (ru) n (vozvraščénije), возвра́т (ru) m (vozvrát)
- Scottish Gaelic: dìoladh m
- Slovene: vrnitev f, povratek m
- Spanish: regreso (es) m, retorno (es) m, vuelta (es) f
- Swedish: återkomst (sv), återvändo (sv), retur (sv) c
- Tagalog: pagbalik, pagbabalik (tl)
- Taos: mùoliʼíne
- Ukrainian: пове́рнення n (povérnennja)
- West Frisian: weromkear
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finance: gain or loss from an investment
computing: carriage return character
computing: act of relinquishing control to the calling procedure
short perpendicular extension of a desk
Translations to be checked
Anagrams