return

/ɹɪˈtɜːn/

verb 5noun 5

Collocations

(noun.) profit

ADJ

attractive, big, excellent, generous, good, high, substantial | acceptable, adequate, decent, fair, healthy, reasonable | inadequate, low, marginal, meagre, poor, small

diminishing

After working extra hours for weeks, he noticed diminishing returns on his efforts.

VERB + RETURN

achieve, get, make, receive

The company made a strong return to profitability after cutting costs last year.

boost, enhance, improve, increase, maximize

The new marketing campaign helped boost returns for the small business last year.

estimate

give (sb), offer (sb), produce, provide, show, yield

The investment produced a healthy return for the shareholders after five years.

represent

The company's improved sales figures represent a return to profitability after three difficult years.

RETURN + VERB

increase | decline, decrease

PREP

~ on

The bank offered a higher return on savings accounts this year compared to last year.

PHRASES

a rate of return

(noun.) ticket to travel to a place and back again

ADJ

day, period | business class, economy, first-class, standard, tourist class

RETURN + NOUN

ticket | flight, journey

(verb.)

ADV

recently | shortly | eventually

safely

The hikers returned safely to the village after their mountain expedition.

voluntarily

forcibly

The police forcibly returned the stolen painting to the museum after finding it in the criminal's apartment.

home

VERB + RETURN

be due to

The bus is due to return to the station at 5 o'clock this evening.

be expected to, be likely to, be/look set to | be allowed to | decide to, expect to, hope to, intend to, plan to, want to, wish to | agree to, promise to

fail to

My brother failed to return my laptop, so I had to ask him about it again.

force sb to

His injury forced him to return home earlier than planned.

PREP

from

My brother returned from his business trip yesterday evening.

He promised to return the keys to the apartment by Friday afternoon.

Definitions

verb

To come or go back (to a place or person).

Although the birds fly north for the summer, they return here in winter.

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.

To go back in thought, narration, or argument.

To return to my story[…]

To recur; to come again.

Winter returns every year.

To turn back, retreat.

‘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.’

To turn (something) round.

Whan Kyng Marke harde hym sey that worde, he returned his horse and abode by hym.

noun

The act of returning.

I expect the house to be spotless upon my return.

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.

A return ticket.

Do you want a one-way or a return?

An item that is returned, e.g. due to a defect.

Most product returns to the top retailers in the USA (either direct from the consumer or through non-sales) will be taken back by the original suppliers for rework or disposal.

An answer.

a return to one's question

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.

election returns; a return of the amount of goods produced or sold

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.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the act of someone appearing again

reappearance

noun — a coming to or returning home

homecoming

noun — getting something back again

noun — a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or

noun — happening again (especially at regular intervals)

recurrence

noun — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the s

issue
take
takings
proceeds
yield
payoff

verb — go back to a previous state

revert
retrovert
regress

verb — answer back

verb — go back to something earlier

recall

verb — pass down

verb — give or supply

verb — be inherited by

verb — pay back

verb — give back

render

verb — elect again

reelect

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

return to one's muttons

To get back to the business at hand.

H. R. Haweis I willingly return to my muttons.

return to form

A return to a former state of success or brilliance.

This album marks a return to form for the band which has not had a successful hit since 1995.

return the favor

To do something for someone similar to what they did for you.

Having received an unearned windfall, we are in debt. The moral scales are out of balance. The canonical way to restore a measure of balance is to return the favor to our benefacto

Example Bank

Although the birds fly north for the summer, they return here in winter.

Wiktionary

"I came through and I shall return," General MacArthur declared when he spoke at Terowie of the beleagured Philippines.

Wiktionary

I expect the house to be spotless upon my return.

Wiktionary

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.

Wiktionary

[…] 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,

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, return is marked as obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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