Meaning of “reverse” in the English Dictionary

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"reverse" in English

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reverseverb

uk ​ /rɪˈvɜːs/ us ​ /rɪˈvɝːs/

reverse verb (CHANGE TO OPPOSITE)

C1 [ T ] to change the direction, order, position, result, etc. of something to its opposite:

The new manager hoped to reverse the decline in the company's fortunes.
Now that you have a job and I don't, our situations are reversed.
The Court of Appeal reversed the earlier judgment.

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reversenoun

uk ​ /rɪˈvɜːs/ us ​ /rɪˈvɝːs/
the reverse

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C2 the opposite of what has been suggested:

You might think that people who don't worry about their diet are fatter and more unhealthy; in fact, the reverse is true.
Whatever official news broadcasts claimed, he believed the reverse.

› the back of a coin, medal, etc.:

The coin has a royal coat of arms on the reverse.
in reverse (order)

C1 in the opposite order or way:

To stop the engine, you repeat the same procedures, but in reverse (order).

C2 [ U ] also reverse gear the method of controlling a vehicle that makes it go backwards:

To go backwards, you must put the car in/into reverse (gear).

› [ C ] formal a defeat or failure:

They suffered a serious military/political reverse.

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reverse
adjective [ before noun ]

›

Repeat the steps in reverse order to shut the system off.
the reverse side of the cloth

Idiom(s)

go into reverse

(Definition of “reverse” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"reverse" in American English

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reverseverb [ I/T ]

us ​ /rɪˈvɜrs/

› to cause something to go in the opposite direction, order, or position:

[ T ] The group is trying to reverse the trend toward developing the wetlands.
reverse
adjective [ not gradable ] us ​ /rɪˈvɜrs/

›

Repeat the steps in reverse order to shut the system off.

reversenoun [ C/U ]

us ​ /rɪˈvɜrs/

› the opposite direction, order, or position:

[ U ] A car came down the street in reverse.

› A reverse is also a defeat or failure:

[ C ] He suffered a series of financial reverses in the 1980s.

(Definition of “reverse” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"reverse" in Business English

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reverseverb

uk ​ /rɪˈvɜːs/ us ​

› [ T ] to change a decision, plan, etc. so that it becomes the opposite of what it was before:

Management have reversed their decision on the matter.

› [ I or T ] to stop things happening, or to stop happening, in a particular way:

reverse a process/trend We have to do something to reverse the trend of people moving away to seek work.
The struggling retailer has slashed prices in an attempt to reverse the decline in sales.
The trend is expected to reverse next year.

› [ T ] to start to behave or to do things in a way that is the opposite of what happened before:

The upward trend in prices may soon reverse course.
Customer feedback forced them to reverse direction.

› [ T ] LAW to change a legal decision in a court of law:

The court of appeal reversed the verdict in June.
reverse (the) charges UK US call collect

› COMMUNICATIONS to make a phone call that is paid for by the person who receives it:

Call me from the airport and reverse the charges.

reversenoun [ C ]

uk ​ /rɪˈvɜːs/ us ​

› formal a problem or failure that makes it more difficult for a person or organization to be successful:

The company suffered a reverse on the trading market.

› also the reverse the opposite of something:

The director assured us the company was doing well, but it turned out that the reverse was true.
the reverse of sth Her approach to marketing is the reverse of what we have done so far.

› the other side of a piece of paper, etc.:

Write your account details on the reverse of the cheque.
be in reverse/go into reverse

› FINANCE if something relating to finance goes into reverse, it starts to lose value:

The shares were in reverse for a long time.
If we don't get any sales growth, profits will go into reverse.

reverseadjective [ before noun ]

uk ​ /rɪˈvɜːs/ us ​

› the opposite of what has just been mentioned:

Although intended to reassure shareholders, this strategy clearly had the reverse effect.

› going in the opposite direction from what usually happens or what has happened before :

We reviewed all the figures in reverse chronological order.

› used to describe the other side of a piece of paper, etc.:

She made a note on the reverse side of the last page.

(Definition of “reverse” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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