retaliate

retaliate is a 9-letter English word with 4 senses as transitive verb, intransitive verb, and verb in the JumbleFix dictionary. One common meaning is: To return the like for; to repay or requite by an act of the same kind; to return evil for (evil). [Now seldom used except in a bad sense.]. Face value is 9 in Scrabble and 10 in Words With Friends. Use the entries below when you need a playable sense, a nearby word, or another arrangement of the same letters.

9 letters · Scrabble 9 · Words With Friends 10 · 4 senses

Definitions

1. transitive verb. To return the like for; to repay or requite by an act of the same kind; to return evil for (evil). [Now seldom used except in a bad sense.]
2. intransitive verb. To return like for like; specifically, to return evil for evil; as, to retaliate upon an enemy.
3. verb. make a counterattack and return like for like, especially evil for evil

   "The Empire strikes back"

   "The Giants struck back and won the opener"

4. verb. take revenge for a perceived wrong

   "He wants to avenge the murder of his brother"

   Synonyms: avenge, revenge

Synonyms

avenge, revenge

Anagrams

Other playable words that use exactly the letters in retaliate:

aliterate, elettaria

Common word forms

retaliated, retaliates, retaliating

Words from these letters

If you are holding these tiles, the unscrambler for RETALIATE lists every valid word you can make from the same letters, including shorter plays.