return

adjective

give back

L1449769 on Wikidata ↗

noun

item being restored to a previous owner
second half of a round trip journey
putting, sending, or directing an item or material back to where it came from
restoration of an item to a previous owner
act or process of exchanging or trading ("in return for")
act or process of bringing back
act of giving a dividend
arrival of results from a previously-ordered medical test

L41960 on Wikidata ↗

verb

to come back
to bring back
putting, sending, or directing an item or material back to where it came from
give back

L5329 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈtɜːn/ / /ɹɪˈtɝn/ / /ɹəˈtɚːn/

noun

Etymology: From Middle English returnen, retornen, from Anglo-Norman returner, from Old French retourner, retorner, from Medieval Latin retornare (“to turn back”), from re- + tornare (“to turn”). By surface analysis, re- + turn. Compare beturn.

The act of returning.
“I expect the house to be spotless upon my return.”
“I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railroad station.”
A return ticket.
“Do you want a one-way or a return?”
An item that is returned, e.g. due to a defect.
“Most product returns to the top retailers in the USA (either direct from the consumer or through non-sales) will be taken back by the original suppliers for rework or disposal.”
An answer.
“a return to one’s question”
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.
“election returns; a return of the amount of goods produced or sold”
“The other returns having come in, the result of the poll, that Sir James Graham had been superseded by Major Aglionby, was declared at Carlisle soon after 11 a.m.”
Gain or loss from an investment.
“It yielded a return of 5%.”
“from the few hours we spend in prayer and the exercises of a pious life, the return is great and profitable”
A report of income submitted to a government for purposes of specifying exact tax payment amounts; a tax return.
“Hand in your return within 90 days of the end of the tax year.”
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).
“The boiler technician had to cut out the heating return to access the safety valve.”
A roadway along which foul air travels from the face on its way out of the mine.
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.
A short perpendicular extension of a desk, usually slightly lower.
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.
“A facade of sixty feet east and west has a return of twenty feet north and south.”

verb

To come or go back (to a place or person).
“Although the birds fly north for the summer, they return here in winter.”
“The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.”
To go back in thought, narration, or argument.
“To return to my story[…]”
To recur; to come again.
“Winter returns every year.”
To turn back, retreat.
“‘I suppose here is none woll be glad to returne – and as for me,’ seyde Sir Cador, ‘I had lever dye this day that onys to turne my bak.’”
To turn (something) round.
“Whan Kyng Marke harde hym sey that worde, he returned his horse and abode by hym.”
To place or put back something where it had been.
“Please return your hands to your lap.”
To give something back to its original holder or owner.
“You should return the library book within one month.”
To give in requital or recompense; to requite.
“[…]the Lord ſhall returne thy wickedneſſe vpon thine owne head.”
To reciprocate (a visit or telephone call).
“Hello, I’m just returning your call. What did you want to talk about?”
To take back something to a vendor for a complete or partial refund.
“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.”
To bat the ball back over the net in response to a serve.
“The player couldn’t return the serve because it was so fast.”
To play a card as a result of another player’s lead.
“If one players plays a trump, the others must return a trump.”
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 return an answer; to return thanks; “Do it yourself!” she returned.”
““No!” returned the spy. “I throw up. I confess that we were so unpopular with the outrageous mob, that I only got away from England at the risk of being ducked to death […]”
To relinquish control to the calling procedure.
To pass (data) back to the calling procedure.
“This function returns the number of files in the directory.”
To retort; to throw back.
“to return the lie”
“And novv, if you are a Malitious Reader, I expect you ſhould return upon me, that I affect to be thought more Impartial than I am.”
To report, or bring back and make known.
“to return the result of an election”
“And all the people anſwered together, [...] and Moſes returned the wordes of the people vnto the Lord.”
To elect to a certain office.
“he was returned as a Member of Parliament”
To give a thrust or cut after parrying a sword-thrust.