RETURNS Synonyms: 127 Similar and Opposite Words

returns 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of return

as in restores

to bring, send, or put back to a former or proper place when I'm done reading a book, I always return it to the very shelf I got it from

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as in yields

to produce as revenue this technology stock is expected to return a healthy profit

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as in responds

to speak or write in reaction to a question or to another reaction when I asked him to sit down to dinner, he returned that he would come when he was good and ready

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as in reverts

to go back to a previous and usually lower state or level vowed to do anything to keep the recovering alcoholic from returning to his dissolute ways

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returns

2 of 2

noun

plural of return

as in responses

something spoken or written in reaction especially to a question I was moved by my grandfather's lengthy return to my casual question about his experiences in the Vietnam War

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as in proceeds

the amount of money left when expenses are subtracted from the total amount received the return on each unit sold has increased since we streamlined the production process

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of returns

Verb

The closest tonally and thematically to the original, Last Crusade returns the series from the dark streaks of Temple of Doom to its more classically heroic, Third Reich-smashing roots. — Frank Deruggiero, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026 Sanders overhauled the coaching staff and roster yet again, though JuJu Lewis returns at quarterback for year two. — Justin Williams, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 The Raiders kept three quarterbacks; Aidan O'Connell returns for his fourth season. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 That means even though less material falls to the black hole during each passage, the star returns over shorter and shorter periods of time. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The need-to-know this week The House returns for one week and will vote on the Senate’s stopgap funding bill that temporarily blocks the White House’s proposal to give political appointees control over federal research grants. — John Wilkerson, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026 Yamazaki returns as director for a film Toho and Gkids describe as featuring more extensive effects work than its predecessor, while keeping its post-World War II Japan setting grounded in the experiences of its characters. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026 As Frieze Seoul returns for its fifth edition and KIAF marks its 25th anniversary this September, the city’s art market is entering a new phase. — Payal Uttam, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Jack Meade returns as Wayne Madigan and Öykü Karayel as Nuray Batuk. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026

Noun

The calculation refers to nominal total returns, combining coupon income and changes in the bond's market price. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026 His best explanations for this are pressure from shareholders to prioritize immediate returns over long-term investments, and years of obsession with digital that came at the expense of physical retail. — Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026 The bill would require the California Public Utilities Commission to consider reducing those utilities’ returns on equity for lower-risk investments, such as undergrounding power lines. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Most of them, the researchers found, ended up being scored as cost reduction, while the largest returns clustered among the companies that aimed AI at revenue instead. — Sreedhar Peddineni, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 To be sure, the Musk faithful have historically been rewarded with enviable returns. — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 Linebacker Jason Riles returns after leading the Rattlers with 77 tackles last season. — John Devine, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026 Among those shoppers whose returns experience negatively impacted customer loyalty, the data showed that the most common complaint was return shipping fees, at 55 percent. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026 The main thing to watch will be the potential for locally heavy downpours as deeper moisture returns. — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for returns

Verb

Doctors treat patients with intravenous fluids and a drug called atropine, which restores a normal heart rhythm.

— Prayan Pokharel, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Rescinding it restores the flexibility to make thoughtful decisions based on the needs of each forest and each community.

— Dan Peck, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of restores

Verb

The result depends not only on the chemical being used, but also on how it is applied, how the garment was dyed, how the fabric responds and how each stage of the process is controlled.

— Alice Tonello, Footwear News, 31 Aug. 2026
Instead of simply moving the body without the patient’s involvement, HAL responds to the person’s own intention to move.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of responds

Verb

The school is owned by the city of Pembroke Pines, and a lease says the property reverts back to the city in 2037.

— Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2026
As light can selectively target the fluid, scientists were able to print microscopic conductive patterns that completely vanish once exposed to open air, which reverts the gel back into non-conductive liquid clusters.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 June 2026

Definition of reverts

Noun

Former senior vice president of people and culture Erin Dangerfield, now Golden State’s chief people officer, allegedly questioned Vasquez about her responses in the survey.

— Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
The report suggests considering inventory exposure, material-supply risk, and residual value, then developing responses with both economic and ecological validity.

— Cleo Levin, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of responses

Noun

The bank expects power networks to account for roughly one-third of group profits by 2029, up from 23% in 2025, which would help cut capital costs.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
In this small city, citizens were brought together by frustration over large, corporate health systems that can seem to put profits over patients.

— Noam Levey, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of profits

Verb

The government created a national preventive care program decades ago and gave every citizen a right to regular checkups, which gave clinics a reason to buy expensive machines, which brought the volume that pays for the expensive machines.

— Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The Avon Historical Society pays the liability for the inside of the building and the structural repairs, like the roof, are the town’s responsibility.

— Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 2026