Definition Definition

return - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'return' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Return [ n.]
- The act of returning (intransitive), or coming back to the same place or condition; as, the return of one long absent; the return of health; the return of the seasons, or of an anniversary.
- The act of returning (transitive), or sending back to the same place or condition; restitution; repayment; requital; retribution; as, the return of anything borrowed, as a book or money; a good return in tennis.
- That which is returned.
- A payment; a remittance; a requital.
- An answer; as, a return to one's question.
- An account, or formal report, of an action performed, of a duty discharged, of facts or statistics, and the like; as, election returns; a return of the amount of goods produced or sold; especially, in the plural, a set of tabulated statistics prepared for general information.
- The profit on, or advantage received from, labor, or an investment, undertaking, adventure, etc.
- The continuation in a different direction, most often at a right angle, of a building, face of a building, or any member, as a molding or mold; -- applied to the shorter in contradistinction to the longer; thus, a facade of sixty feet east and west has a return of twenty feet north and south.
- The rendering back or delivery of writ, precept, or execution, to the proper officer or court.
- The certificate of an officer stating what he has done in execution of a writ, precept, etc., indorsed on the document.
- The sending back of a commission with the certificate of the commissioners.
- A day in bank. See Return day, below.
- An official account, report, or statement, rendered to the commander or other superior officer; as, the return of men fit for duty; the return of the number of the sick; the return of provisions, etc.
- The turnings and windings of a trench or mine.
2 . Return [ v. i.]
- To turn back; to go or come again to the same place or condition.
- To come back, or begin again, after an interval, regular or irregular; to appear again.
- To speak in answer; to reply; to respond.
- To revert; to pass back into possession.
- To go back in thought, narration, or argument.
3 . Return [ v. t.]
- To bring, carry, send, or turn, back; as, to return a borrowed book, or a hired horse.
- To repay; as, to return borrowed money.
- To give in requital or recompense; to requite.
- To give back in reply; as, to return an answer; to return thanks.
- To retort; to throw back; as, to return the lie.
- To report, or bring back and make known.
- To render, as an account, usually an official account, to a superior; to report officially by a list or statement; as, to return a list of stores, of killed or wounded; to return the result of an election.
- Hence, to elect according to the official report of the election officers.
- To bring or send back to a tribunal, or to an office, with a certificate of what has been done; as, to return a writ.
- To convey into official custody, or to a general depository.
- To bat (the ball) back over the net.
- To lead in response to the lead of one's partner; as, to return a trump; to return a diamond for a club.

Meaning of 'return' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . return [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a tennis stroke that sends the ball back to the other player
Example in sentence:
  • he won the point on a cross-court return
Meaning (2):
- document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability
Example in sentence:
  • his gross income was enough that he had to file a tax return
Meaning (3):
- the act of someone appearing again
Example in sentence:
  • his reappearance as Hamlet has been long awaited
Meaning (4):
- a reciprocal group action
Example in sentence:
  • in return we gave them as good as we got
Meaning (5):
- a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
Example in sentence:
  • it brought a sharp rejoinder from the teacher
Meaning (6):
- a coming to or returning home
Example in sentence:
  • on his return from Australia we gave him a welcoming party
Meaning (7):
- the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
Example in sentence:
  • the average return was about 5%
Meaning (8):
- happening again (especially at regular intervals)
Example in sentence:
  • the return of spring
Meaning (9):
- the act of going back to a prior location
Example in sentence:
  • they set out on their return to the base camp
Meaning (10):
- getting something back again
Example in sentence:
  • upon the restitution of the book to its rightful owner the child was given a tongue lashing
11 . return [ v]
Meaning (11):
- pass down
Example in sentence:
  • deliver a judgment;
  • render a verdict
Meaning (12):
- be restored
Example in sentence:
  • Her old vigor returned
Meaning (13):
- pay back
Example in sentence:
  • Please refund me my money
Meaning (14):
- give back
Example in sentence:
  • render money
Meaning (15):
- return in kind
Example in sentence:
  • return a compliment;
  • return her love
Meaning (16):
- make a return
Example in sentence:
  • return a kickback
Meaning (17):
- go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
Example in sentence:
  • return to your native land;
  • the professor returned to his teaching position after serving as Dean
Meaning (18):
- submit (a report, etc.) to someone in authority
Example in sentence:
  • submit a bill to a legislative body
Meaning (19):
- give or supply
Example in sentence:
  • The cow brings in 5 liters of milk;
  • The estate renders some revenue for the family;
  • This year's crop yielded 1,000 bushels of corn
Meaning (20):
- be inherited by
Example in sentence:
  • The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead;
  • The estate fell to my sister;
  • The land returned to the family
Meaning (21):
- return to a previous position; in mathematics
Example in sentence:
  • The point returned to the interior of the figure
Meaning (22):
- go back to something earlier
Example in sentence:
  • This harks back to a previous remark of his
Meaning (23):
- go back to a previous state
Example in sentence:
  • We reverted to the old rules