Definition of "return"

return

/ɹɪˈtɜːn/

verb
third-person singular simple present returns, present participle returning, simple past and past participle returned
1. (intransitive) To come or go back (to a place or person).
  Quotations
  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.
  1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., page 58
  "I came through and I shall return," General MacArthur declared when he spoke at Terowie of the beleagured Philippines.
  1942, “'I Came Through; I Shall Return'”, in The Advertiser‎
  As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.
  1963, Margery Allingham, “Meeting Point”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, page 232
2. (intransitive) To go back in thought, narration, or argument.
3. (intransitive) To recur; to come again.
4. (intransitive, obsolete) To turn back, retreat.
  Quotations
  ‘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.’(please add an English translation of this quotation)
  1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book V, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889,
5. (transitive, obsolete) To turn (something) round.
  Quotations
  Whan Kyng Marke harde hym sey that worde, he returned his horse and abode by hym.(please add an English translation of this quotation)
  1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum xiij”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book X, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889,
6. (transitive) To place or put back something where it had been.
7. (transitive) To give something back to its original holder or owner.
8. To give in requital or recompense; to requite.
  Quotations
  […] the Lord ſhall returne thy wickedneſſe vpon thine owne head.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1 Kings 2:44, column 2
9. (transitive) To reciprocate (a visit or telephone call).
10. (transitive) To take back something to a vendor for a complete or partial refund.
11. (tennis) To bat the ball back over the net in response to a serve.
12. (card games) To play a card as a result of another player's lead.
13. (cricket) To throw a ball back to the wicket-keeper (or a fielder at that position) from somewhere in the field.
14. (transitive) To say in reply; to respond.
  Quotations
  “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 […]
  1859, Charles Dickens, “A Hand at Cards”, in A Tale of Two Cities, London: Chapman and Hall, […], book III (The Track of a Storm), page 205
  “Ah my good friend, I do look out,” the young man returned while Maisie helped herself afresh to bread and butter.
  1897 October 16, Henry James, chapter XII, in What Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co., page 132
15. (intransitive, computing) To relinquish control to the calling procedure.
16. (transitive, computing) To pass (data) back to the calling procedure.
17. (transitive, dated) To retort; to throw back.
  Quotations
  And now, if you are a Malicious Reader, I expect you ſhould return upon me, that I affect to be thought more Impartial than I am.
  1681, [John Dryden], “To the Reader”, in Absalom and Achitophel. A Poem. […], 3rd edition, London: […] J[acob] T[onson] and are to be sold by W. Davis […], published 1682
18. (transitive) To report, or bring back and make known.
  Quotations
  And all the people anſwered together, [...] and Moſes returned the wordes of the people vnto the Lord.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Exodus 19:8, column 2
19. (Britain, by extension) To elect according to the official report of the election officers.
20. (fencing) To give a thrust or cut after parrying a sword-thrust.
noun
countable and uncountable, plural returns
1. The act of returning.
  Quotations
  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. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town. I was completely mystified at such an unusual proceeding.
  1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., pages 12–13
  […] of the existence or nonexistence of parental intent to abandon a subject minor child, whether the best interests and welfare of such minor child will be served by taking custody from the parents, and whether return of a child to the parents would be detrimental to such child.
  1976, Reports of Cases Determined in the Courts of Appeal of the State of California, page 423
2. A return ticket.
3. An item that is returned, e.g. due to a defect, or the act of returning it.
4. An answer.
5. 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.
  Quotations
  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.
  1942 May-June, Charles E. Lee, “The Brampton Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 140, relating to an election in 1837
6. Gain or loss from an investment.
  Quotations
  from the few hours we spend in prayer and the exercises of a pious life, the return is great and profitable
  1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Francis Ashe […]
  Liverpool have now won only five of their 17 home league games this season. It is a poor return for a team of Liverpool's pedigree and resources but, once again, Kenny Dalglish's team were the instigators of their own downfall as chance after chance went begging.
  2012 April 22, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 West Brom”, in BBC Sport
  Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.
  2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68
7. (taxation, finance) A report of income submitted to a government for purposes of specifying exact tax payment amounts; a tax return.
8. (computing) A carriage return character.
9. (computing) The act of relinquishing control to the calling procedure.
10. (computing) A return value: the data passed back from a called procedure.
11. A return pipe, returning fluid to a boiler or other central plant (compare with flow pipe, which carries liquid away from a central plant).
12. A short perpendicular extension of a desk, usually slightly lower.
13. (American football) The act of catching a ball after a punt and running it back towards the opposing team.
14. (cricket) A throw from a fielder to the wicket-keeper or to another fielder at the wicket.
15. (architecture) 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.

Definition of "return"

return

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noun

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