retaliate

verb/rɪˈtælieɪt/

Frequency rank: #11,793 most common English word

Meaning

to do something harmful to someone because they have harmed you first; to get revenge.

Illustration for the English word “retaliate”

Example sentence

After being insulted in front of everyone, she decided to retaliate by spreading rumors about him.

Synonyms & related words

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