Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Retaliation for an injury with the intent of inflicting at least as much injury in return.
- n. Forcible seizure of an enemy's goods or subjects in retaliation for injuries inflicted.
- n. The practice of using political or military force without actually resorting to war.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In international law: The recovering by force of what is one's own.
- n. The act of retorting on an enemy by inflicting suffering or death on a prisoner taken from him, in retaliation of an act of inhumanity.
- n. Any taking by way of retaliation; an act of severity done in retaliation.
- n. Same as recaption.
- n. A prize.
- n. A restitution.
- n. =Syn. 1–3. Retribution, Retaliation, etc. See revenge.
Wiktionary
- n. act of retaliation
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The act of taking from an enemy by way of reteliation or indemnity.
- n. Anything taken from an enemy in retaliation.
- n. The act of retorting on an enemy by inflicting suffering or death on a prisoner taken from him, in retaliation for an act of inhumanity.
- n. Any act of retaliation.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime
Etymologies
- From French "représailles", formerly "reprisailles", originally from Italian "rappresaglia". (Wiktionary)
- Middle English reprisail, from Old French reprisaille, from Old Italian ripresaglia, from ripreso, past participle of riprendere, to take back, from Latin reprehendere, reprēndere, to take hold of; see reprehend. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“But now, without any provocation, and without the justification of reprisal or retaliation, a refusal to outlaw the use of the bomb save in reprisal is making a political purpose of its possession; this is hardly pardonable.”
“Among them was the Popular Resistance Committees, the group Israel almost immediately blamed for the attack, and promptly launched what it called a reprisal strike.”
“Jones says Jesus would approve of his plan for "Burn a Koran Day," which he calls a reprisal for Islamist terrorism.”
“Church officials say they have 200 copies of the Koran and Jones says Jesus would approve of his plan for "Burn a Koran Day," which he calls a reprisal for Islamist terrorism.”
“Jones has said Jesus would approve of his plan for "Burn a Koran Day," which he called a reprisal for Islamist terrorism.”
“Amnesty International blamed "the negligence of state and federal authorities" for what it called reprisal attacks against activists and relatives of crime victims.”
“Jones has said Jesus would approve of his plan for "Burn a Qur'an Day," which he called a reprisal for Islamist terrorism.”
“Amnesty International blamed "the negligence of state and federal authorities" for what it called reprisal attacks against rights activists and relatives of crime victims.”
“And what can even the Warden of a great prison do in reprisal on a prisoner upon whom the ultimate reprisal has already been wreaked?”
“Not wanting my husband to experience any reprisal from the nursing staff, we were good disabled people and begrudgingly stayed within bounds.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘reprisal’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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501
Classic
mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado, toil, onus, aberration, abstruse, anomaly and 401 more...
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501
Classic
abhor, mirth, obtuse, iota, vex, irk, teem, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane and 401 more...
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Yazhinni Spelling bee
tongue, stallion, scruple, salinity, schedule, rouge, populist, Permian, perspire, pasteurize, multitude, mournful and 227 more...
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501
Classic
irk, teem, blight, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado and 401 more...
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501
Classic
bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado, toil, onus, aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august and 401 more...
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DAY2_01/05/2013
day 2, pundit, potentate, miscreant, renegade, timid, ribald, reprisal, dispersal, inoculate, disservice, dessicate and 33 more...
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gre words
convoluted, deride, melancholy, antagonize, antagonize, deference, portentous, prodigious, ruminate, ineffable, turgid, mossy and 58 more...
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times words
Times words
macabre, reprisal, despise, self-reliant, wretched, contemptuous, assail, botch, congregational, hitherto, arduous, belittle and 1 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6689 more...
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MiaLuthien's list ♥
gambit, prehensile, coquetry, impunity, genuflect, ensconce, clavicle, delude, beget, castigate, life caching, convoluted and 478 more...
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Personal Vocabulary List
All my favourite words that I come across!
veritable, incongruence, rigamorole, letcherous, revolting, repulsive, reputrid, rapatious, forays, guise, placate, paradigm and 1162 more...
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The Sog Collection
My big word list.
chaos, flaccid, empirical, flotsam, cacophony, grumble, assuage, awe, romance, mortality, coalesce, fortuitous and 3282 more...
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Week 1, Day 1
ignominy, marquee, deter, chariot, stern, perfidy, treacherous, insolent, presumptuous, banish, dubious, livid and 133 more...
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Great Race Horse Names10
poetry in motion - words at work.
illuminator, bonk, testify to love, passion for gumbo, grimacing, above a whisper, jazz ensemble, dinner in the diner, marginal reality, scalding passion, you wont like it, umber and 216 more...
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newGRE
mostly from magoosh
imbue, verge on, nonchalant, deliberate, timorous, futile, provisional, dissect, checked, tinged, alluring, visionary and 1046 more...
Tweets
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