retaliate

2 definitions • 4 examples

to hurt someone or do something harmful to someone because they have done or said something harmful to you:

If someone insults you, don't retaliate as it only makes the situation worse.

The demonstrators threw rocks at the police, who retaliated by firing blanks into the crowd.

The terrorists retaliated against the government with a bomb attack.

to hurt someone or do something harmful to someone because that person has done or said something harmful to you:

His first instinct was to retaliate against the attacks.