RETALIATE

retaliate, strike back

(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”; “The Israeli army retaliated for the Hamas bombing”

revenge, avenge, retaliate

(verb) take revenge for a perceived wrong; “He wants to avenge the murder of his brother”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

retaliate (third-person singular simple present retaliates, present participle retaliating, simple past and past participle retaliated)

(intransitive) To do something harmful or negative to get revenge for some harm; to fight back or respond in kind to an injury or affront.

(transitive) To repay or requite by an act of the same kind.

Synonyms

• See also avenge

Anagrams

• aliterate

Source: Wiktionary

Re*tal"i*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Retaliated; p. pr. & vb. n. Retaliating.] Etym: [L. retaliatus, p. p. of retaliare to retaliate; pref. re- re- + a word akin to talio talion, retaliation. Cf. Talion.]

Definition: 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.] One ambassador sent word to the duke's son that his visit should be retaliated. Sir T. Herbert. It is unlucky to be obliged to retaliate the injuries of authors, whose works are so soon forgotten that we are in danger of appearing the first aggressors. Swift.

Re*tal"i*ate, v. i.

Definition: To return like for like; specifically, to return evil for evil; as, to retaliate upon an enemy.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition