return

Plural: returns

Noun

• document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability
  • "his gross income was enough that he had to file a tax return"
• a coming to or returning home
  • "on his return from Australia we gave him a welcoming party"
• the occurrence of a change in direction back in the opposite direction
• getting something back again
• the act of going back to a prior location
  • "they set out on their return to the base camp"
• the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
  • "the average return was about 5%"
• happening again (especially at regular intervals)
  • "the return of spring"
• a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
• the key on electric typewriters or computer keyboards that causes a carriage return and a line feed
• a reciprocal group action
  • "in return we gave them as good as we got"
• a tennis stroke that sends the ball back to the other player
  • "he won the point on a cross-court return"
• (American football) the act of running back the ball after a kickoff or punt or interception or fumble
• the act of someone appearing again
• The act of returning.
• A return ticket.
• An item that is returned, e.g. due to a defect, or the act of returning it.
• An answer.
• An account, or formal report, of an action performed, of a duty discharged, of facts or statistics, etc.; especially, in the plural, a set of tabulated statistics prepared for general information.
• Gain or loss from an investment.
• A report of income submitted to a government for purposes of specifying exact tax payment amounts; a tax return.
• A carriage return character.
• The act of relinquishing control to the calling procedure.
• A return value: the data passed back from a called procedure.
• A return pipe, returning fluid to a boiler or other central plant (compare with flow pipe, which carries liquid away from a central plant).
• A roadway along which foul air travels from the face on its way out of the mine.
• A short perpendicular extension of a desk, usually slightly lower.
• The act of catching a ball after a punt and running it back towards the opposing team.
• A throw from a fielder to the wicket-keeper or to another fielder at the wicket.
• The continuation in a different direction, most often at a right angle, of a building, face of a building, or any member, such as a moulding; applied to the shorter in contradistinction to the longer.

Verb

Verb Forms: returned, returning, returns

• To come or go back to a previous place or state.
• go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
  • "return to your native land"
  • "the professor returned to his teaching position after serving as Dean"
• give back
• go back to a previous state
• go back to something earlier
• bring back to the point of departure
• return in kind
  • "return a compliment"
  • "return her love"
• make a return
  • "return a kickback"
• answer back
• be restored
  • "Her old vigor returned"
• pay back
• pass down
• elect again
• be inherited by
  • "The land returned to the family"
• return to a previous position; in mathematics
  • "The point returned to the interior of the figure"
• give or supply
• submit (a report, etc.) to someone in authority
• To come or go back (to a place or person).
• To go back in thought, narration, or argument.
• To recur; to come again.
• To turn back, retreat.
• To turn (something) round.
• To place or put back something where it had been.
• To give something back to its original holder or owner.
• To give in requital or recompense; to requite.
• To reciprocate (a visit or telephone call).
• To take back something to a vendor for a complete or partial refund.
• To bat the ball back over the net in response to a serve.
• To play a card as a result of another player's lead.
• To throw a ball back to the wicket-keeper (or a fielder at that position) from somewhere in the field.
• To say in reply; to respond.
• To relinquish control to the calling procedure.
• To pass (data) back to the calling procedure.
• To retort; to throw back.
• To report, or bring back and make known.
• To elect according to the official report of the election officers.
• To give a thrust or cut after parrying a sword-thrust.

Examples

• A facade of sixty feet east and west has a return of twenty feet north and south.
• a return to one's question
• Although the birds fly north for the summer, they return here in winter.
• Do you want a one-way or a return?
• election returns; a return of the amount of goods produced or sold
• Hand in your return within 90 days of the end of the tax year.
• He played a strategic blank, hoping it would return to him as a valuable letter later.
• Hello, I'm just returning your call. What did you want to talk about?
• I expect the house to be spotless upon my return.
• If one players plays a trump, the others must return a trump.
• It yielded a return of 5%.
• Last year there were 250 returns of this product, an improvement on the 500 returns the year before.
• Please return your hands to your lap.
• The boiler technician had to cut out the heating return to access the safety valve.
• The player couldn't return the serve because it was so fast.
• This function returns the number of files in the directory.
• to return an answer;  to return thanks;  "Do it yourself!" she returned.
• to return the lie
• to return the result of an election
• To return to my story[…]
• Winter returns every year.
• Yeah, it's $600,000 but, if it doesn't work, you can always return it. As long as it's undamaged and in the original packaging, I'll give you a full refund.
• You should return the library book within one month.

Synonyms

bring back, come back, comeback, coming back, counter, deliver, devolve, fall, generate, getting even, give, give back, hark back, homecoming, income tax return, issue, pass, paying back, payoff, proceeds, reappearance, recall, recurrence, reelect, refund, regaining, regress, rejoin, rejoinder, render, repay, replication, restitution, restoration, retort, retrovert, return key, revert, riposte, take, take back, takings, tax return, turn back, yield, gaincoming, reinstate, restore, return, revend, revest, surrender

Antonyms

take

Related Words

compensate, indemnify, reimburse, return to form