Retaliating Meaning in English

word · lemma: retaliate

US

ɹɪˈtæɫiˌeɪtɪŋ

ri-TAL-ee-ay-ting

UK

ɹɪtˈælɪˌeɪtɪŋ

ri-TAL-i-ay-ting

Definition

To do something harmful or unpleasant to someone because they did something harmful or unpleasant to you; to take revenge or respond with similar actions.

Usage & Nuances

Often formal; commonly appears in news, legal or serious discussions. Typically used for actions between individuals, groups, or even countries. Common collocations: 'retaliating against', 'retaliating by'. Avoid confusing with 'responding' (neutral), as 'retaliating' always suggests a negative or harmful response.

• Spanish: tomar represalias - vengarse
• Portuguese (BR): revidar - retaliar - vingar-se
• Portuguese (PT): retaliar - vingar-se
• Chinese (Simplified): 报复
• Chinese (Traditional): 報復
• Hindi: बदला लेना
• Arabic: الانتقام
• Bengali: প্রতিশোধ নিচ্ছে - পাল্টা ব্যবস্থা নিচ্ছে
• Russian: мстит - отвечает (тем же)
• Japanese: 仕返ししている - 仕返しする
• Vietnamese: trả đũa - trả thù
• Korean: 보복하고 있다 - 복수하고 있다
• Turkish: misilleme yapıyor - intikam alıyor
• Urdu: انتقام لے رہا ہے
• Indonesian: membalas - membalas dendam

Example Sentences

He was retaliating after someone insulted him.

basic

The country is retaliating against trade sanctions.

basic

She avoided retaliating, even when she was hurt.

basic

Are you retaliating because of what happened yesterday?

natural

Instead of retaliating, he tried to solve the problem peacefully.

natural

The kids kept retaliating whenever someone took their toys.

natural