What does "revert" mean?
One who, or that which, reverts.
Revert
/ɹɪˈvɝt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who, or that which, reverts.
- Grammar: revert is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: regress, restore, retrovert, return.
- Useful contrasts: french changer, juvenile stage, blossoming.
- Usage evidence: Late-stage dementia sufferers whose first language isn't English often revert back to their native language as their condition worsens.
How to use "revert"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "revert" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- 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 "revert" 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 "revert" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "revert" 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 "revert" 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 "regress" 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 "revert", 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 One who, or that which, reverts.
- 2 One who reverts to that religion which one had adhered to before having converted to another.
"[...] Cyril III ibn Laqlaq’s correspondence which reflects genuine—if intentionally vague—concern for the secretive community of Christian converts and reverts [who had converted to Islam before]."
- 3 A convert to Islam.
"Zeba Siddiqui, herself a revert and editor of the Parent's Manual: A Guide for Muslim Parents Living in North America, contributed to this book as a consultant."
- 4 The act of reversion (of e.g. a database transaction or source control repository) to an earlier state.
"We've found that git reverts are at least an order of magnitude faster than SVN reverse merges."
- 5 The skateboard maneuver of rotating the board 180 degrees or more while the wheels remain on the ground.
"In short tutorials, the player learns the basics of skating: reverts, manuals and the ollie […]"
Verb
- 1 To turn back, or turn to the contrary; to reverse. archaic, transitive
"Till happy Chance reverts the cruel scene."
- 2 undergo reversion, as in a mutation wordnet
- 3 To throw back; to reflect; to reverberate.
- 4 go back to a previous state wordnet
- 5 To cause to return to a former condition. transitive
"Conuert his Gyues to Graces. So that my Arrowes / Too ſlightly timbred for ſo loud a Winde, / Would haue reuerted to my Bow againe, / And not where I had arm’d them."
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 To reverse (a change). transitive
"This makes sense because you've committed the changes locally, but then reverted them at the server level."
- 7 To reverse a change made by (a person). transitive
"When s.o.'s edit doesn't apply to my standards, I can revert it. And that person can revert me too."
- 8 To return to the possession of. intransitive
"When a book goes out of print, rights revert from the publisher to the author."
- 9 To return to the possession of.; Of an estate: To return to its former owner, or to his or her heirs, when a grant comes to an end. intransitive
- 10 To cause (a property or rights) to return to the previous owner. transitive
"Sometimes a publisher will automatically revert rights back to an author once a book has gone out of print."
- 11 To return to a former practice, condition, belief, etc. intransitive
"Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety. She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet."
- 12 To return to an earlier or primitive type or state; to take on the traits or characters of an ancestral type. intransitive
- 13 To change back, as from a soluble to an insoluble state or the reverse. intransitive
"Phosphoric acid in certain fertilizers reverts."
- 14 To take up again or return to a previous topic. intransitive
- 15 To return; to come back. archaic, intransitive
"If they attack, we will revert to the bunker."
- 16 To convert to Islam. intransitive
"He added that Islam is the religion of justice which rejects injustice, referring to the case of Mike Tyson and how he has become a real problem to the West since he reverted to Islam."
- 17 To reply (to correspondence, etc.). intransitive
"Please revert before Monday."
- 18 To treat (a series, such as y=a+bx+cx²+⋯, where one variable y is expressed in powers of a second variable x), so as to find the second variable x expressed in a series arranged in powers of y. transitive
"First we revert the series expansion (3.6) to give z(#92;zeta) as a series in z."
Antonyms
Example
"Late-stage dementia sufferers whose first language isn't English often revert back to their native language as their condition worsens."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "revert"?
Common synonyms include: regress, restore, retrovert, return, roll back, back.
How do you use "revert" in a sentence?
Late-stage dementia sufferers whose first language isn't English often revert back to their native language as their condition worsens.
How do you pronounce "revert"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈvɝt/.
Etymology
From Old French revertir, from Vulgar Latin *revertiō, variant of Latin revertō.