retaliate

/rɪˈtælieɪt/ verb [I]

Definition

› to do something bad to someone because they have done something bad to you: They have threatened to retaliate against any troops that attack.

retaliation

/rɪˌtæliˈeɪʃən/ noun [U] › They bombed the hotel in retaliation for the arrests. retaliatory

/rɪˈtæliətəri/ adjective › retaliatory measures

(Definition of retaliate verb from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

real or true

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.