re
ta
liate
Third Person
retaliates
Present Participle
retaliating
Past Tense
retaliated
Past Participle
retaliated
1
to make a counterattack or respond in a similar manner
transitive
- When betrayed by a close friend, she resisted the urge to retaliate the injury.
- The nation sought to retaliate economic sanctions by imposing reciprocal measures on its trading partners..
- The organization decided to retaliate hacking attempts by counterattacking the source.
Synonyms:
2
to take revenge for a wrongdoing or attack
- After the unexpected ambush, the soldiers retaliated with a swift and strategic counterattack against the enemy forces.
- The athlete, angered by a foul play, chose not to retaliate.
- In the world of politics, leaders may choose to retaliate against hostile actions by imposing economic sanctions.
- In international relations, countries may retaliate against trade barriers by implementing their own restrictions on imports.