as in to avenge
to punish in kind the wrongdoer responsible for
retaliated his neighbor's malicious destruction of his flower garden by cutting down the man's prize apple tree
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Recent Examples of retaliate
May 20, 2025 In 2005, Kushner pleaded guilty to 18 federal counts, including tax evasion, retaliating against a federal witness and lying to the Federal Election Commission.
—
Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Pakistan retaliated, and there was intense and escalating artillery fighting between the two countries at the border and at naval bases in the Indian Ocean.
—Jasreen Mayal Khanna, AFAR Media, 19 May 2025
Then, awareness of how war could set back India’s ascent took precedence over domestic pressure to retaliate.
—Mujib Mashal, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Moreover, China would likely retaliate with a tax on U.S.-built aircraft, hurting the U.S. aerospace industry and its workers.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for retaliate
Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Pakistan retaliated, and there was intense and escalating artillery fighting between the two countries at the border and at naval bases in the Indian Ocean.
—Jasreen Mayal Khanna, AFAR Media, 19 May 2025
Then, awareness of how war could set back India’s ascent took precedence over domestic pressure to retaliate.
—Mujib Mashal, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Moreover, China would likely retaliate with a tax on U.S.-built aircraft, hurting the U.S. aerospace industry and its workers.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for retaliate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retaliate
avenge
Verb
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But Adams noted the league is only focused on the Chiefs seeking to avenge their Super Bowl LIX loss.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2025
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Listen to this article St. Augustine High School played a complete match Friday night, beating Mission Vista 25-21, 25-13, 25-23 to avenge a loss earlier this season and capture the CIF San Diego Section Division 1 boys volleyball championship at Mira Mesa High School.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retaliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retaliate. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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