return

verb · noun

Simple meaning

Go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

rihturn

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US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ɹɪˈtɝn

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

Go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
intransitive
To come or go back (to a place or person).
Go back to a previous state
Bring back to the point of departure
Answer back
Pay back

noun

The act of returning.
An answer.
A return pipe, returning fluid to a boiler or other central plant.
A short perpendicular extension of a desk, usually slightly lower.
Gain or loss from an investment.
A return ticket.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A1 · Beginner
Frequency: Very Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

Used this way, return is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use return

“Return to your native land.”verb

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Come / place

tax returnreturn homereturn journey

Other combinations

return trip

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

pass
To change place.
recall
To call back, bring back, or summon (someone) to a specific place, station, etc.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

returnableadjectiveDerived adjective
That may be returned.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

return keynounCompound term
The key on electric typewriters or computer keyboards that causes a carriage return and a line feed.
return on invested capitalnounCompound term
The amount, expressed as a percentage, that is earned on a company's total capital calculated by dividing the total capital into earnings before interest, taxes, or dividends are paid.
return on investmentnounCompound term
The amount, expressed as a percentage, that is earned on a company's total capital calculated by dividing the total capital into earnings before interest, taxes, or dividends are paid.
return ticketnounCompound term
A ticket to a place and back (usually over the same route).
returning officernounCompound term
The official in each electorate who holds the election and returns the results.
return addressnounCompound term
The address of the sender of a letter or parcel indicating where it should be returned if it cannot be delivered.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: go or come back to place or condition

comebackrevertrecall

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.