Return

/ɹɪˈtɜːn/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The act of returning.
  • Grammar: return is listed as noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: comeback, give back, reappearance, render.
  • Useful contrasts: appropriate, appropriate behavior, appropriate setting.
  • Usage evidence: All you have to do is to wait for me to return.

How to use "return"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "return" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "return" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "return" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "return" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "return" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "comeback" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "return", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of returning. countable, uncountable

    "I expect the house to be spotless upon my return."

  2. 2
    the act of someone appearing again wordnet
  3. 3
    A return ticket. countable, uncountable

    "Do you want a one-way or a return?"

  4. 4
    a coming to or returning home wordnet
  5. 5
    An item that is returned, e.g. due to a defect. countable, uncountable

    "Most product returns to the top retailers in the USA (either direct from the consumer or through non-sales) will be taken back by the original suppliers for rework or disposal."

Show 24 more definitions
  1. 6
    getting something back again wordnet
  2. 7
    An answer. countable, uncountable

    "a return to one's question"

  3. 8
    the act of going back to a prior location wordnet
  4. 9
    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. countable, uncountable

    "election returns; a return of the amount of goods produced or sold"

  5. 10
    (American football) the act of running back the ball after a kickoff or punt or interception or fumble wordnet
  6. 11
    Gain or loss from an investment. countable, uncountable

    "It yielded a return of 5%."

  7. 12
    a tennis stroke that sends the ball back to the other player wordnet
  8. 13
    A report of income submitted to a government for purposes of specifying exact tax payment amounts; a tax return. countable, uncountable

    "Hand in your return within 90 days of the end of the tax year."

  9. 14
    a reciprocal group action wordnet
  10. 15
    A carriage return character. countable, uncountable
  11. 16
    the key on electric typewriters or computer keyboards that causes a carriage return and a line feed wordnet
  12. 17
    The act of relinquishing control to the calling procedure. countable, uncountable
  13. 18
    document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability wordnet
  14. 19
    A return value: the data passed back from a called procedure. countable, uncountable
  15. 20
    a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one) wordnet
  16. 21
    A return pipe, returning fluid to a boiler or other central plant (compare with flow pipe, which carries liquid away from a central plant). countable, uncountable

    "The boiler technician had to cut out the heating return to access the safety valve."

  17. 22
    happening again (especially at regular intervals) wordnet
  18. 23
    A roadway along which foul air travels from the face on its way out of the mine. countable, uncountable
  19. 24
    the occurrence of a change in direction back in the opposite direction wordnet
  20. 25
    The act of catching a ball after a punt and running it back towards the opposing team. countable, uncountable
  21. 26
    the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property wordnet
  22. 27
    A throw from a fielder to the wicket-keeper or to another fielder at the wicket. countable, uncountable
  23. 28
    A short perpendicular extension of a desk, usually slightly lower. countable, uncountable
  24. 29
    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. countable, uncountable

    "A facade of sixty feet east and west has a return of twenty feet north and south."

Verb
  1. 1
    To come or go back (to a place or person). intransitive

    "Although the birds fly north for the summer, they return here in winter."

  2. 2
    go back to a previous state wordnet
  3. 3
    To go back in thought, narration, or argument. intransitive

    "To return to my story[…]"

  4. 4
    be restored wordnet
  5. 5
    To recur; to come again. intransitive

    "Winter returns every year."

Show 31 more definitions
  1. 6
    answer back wordnet
  2. 7
    To turn back, retreat. intransitive, obsolete

    "‘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.’"

  3. 8
    submit (a report, etc.) to someone in authority wordnet
  4. 9
    To turn (something) round. obsolete, transitive

    "Whan Kyng Marke harde hym sey that worde, he returned his horse and abode by hym."

  5. 10
    go back to something earlier wordnet
  6. 11
    To place or put back something where it had been. transitive

    "Please return your hands to your lap."

  7. 12
    pass down wordnet
  8. 13
    To give something back to its original holder or owner. transitive

    "You should return the library book within one month."

  9. 14
    make a return wordnet
  10. 15
    To give in requital or recompense; to requite.

    "[…]the Lord ſhall returne thy wickedneſſe vpon thine owne head."

  11. 16
    give or supply wordnet
  12. 17
    To reciprocate (a visit or telephone call). transitive

    "Hello, I'm just returning your call. What did you want to talk about?"

  13. 18
    go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before wordnet
  14. 19
    To take back something to a vendor for a complete or partial refund. transitive

    "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."

  15. 20
    return to a previous position; in mathematics wordnet
  16. 21
    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."

  17. 22
    bring back to the point of departure wordnet
  18. 23
    To play a card as a result of another player's lead.

    "If one players plays a trump, the others must return a trump."

  19. 24
    be inherited by wordnet
  20. 25
    To throw a ball back to the wicket-keeper (or a fielder at that position) from somewhere in the field.
  21. 26
    pay back wordnet
  22. 27
    To say in reply; to respond. transitive

    "to return an answer;  to return thanks;  "Do it yourself!" she returned."

  23. 28
    give back wordnet
  24. 29
    To relinquish control to the calling procedure. intransitive
  25. 30
    return in kind wordnet
  26. 31
    To pass (data) back to the calling procedure. transitive

    "This function returns the number of files in the directory."

  27. 32
    elect again wordnet
  28. 33
    To retort; to throw back. dated, transitive

    "to return the lie"

  29. 34
    To report, or bring back and make known. transitive

    "to return the result of an election"

  30. 35
    To elect to a certain office. Commonwealth, broadly, dated

    "he was returned as a Member of Parliament"

  31. 36
    To give a thrust or cut after parrying a sword-thrust.

Synonyms

All synonyms
comebackgive backreappearancerenderrestorationyield

Antonyms

appropriateappropriate behaviorappropriate settingravishing

Example

"All you have to do is to wait for me to return."

Common questions

What does "return" mean?

The act of returning.

What is a synonym for "return"?

Common synonyms include: comeback, give back, reappearance, render, restoration, yield.

How do you use "return" in a sentence?

All you have to do is to wait for me to return.

How do you pronounce "return"?

Pronounced /ɹɪˈtɜːn/.

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”). By surface analysis, re- + turn. Compare beturn.

More for "return"

Synonyms

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