RETURN | English Meaning, Definition, and Pronunciation

Middle English: the verb from Old French returner, from Latin re- ‘back’ + tornare ‘to turn’; the noun via Anglo-Norman French

come or go back to a place or person

come or go back to place or person

• he returned to America in the late autumn

give, put, or send (something) back to a place or person

give, put, or send something back to place or person

• complete the application form and return it to this address

yield or make (a profit)

yield or make

• the company returned a profit of £4.3 million

(of an electorate) elect (a person or party) to office

(of electorate) elect person or party to office

• the city of Glasgow returned eleven Labour MPs

continue (a wall) in a changed direction, especially at right angles.

continue wall in changed direction

an act of coming or going back to a place or activity

act of coming or going back to place or activity

• he celebrated his safe return from the war
• a return flight

a profit from an investment

profit from investment

• product areas are being developed to produce maximum returns

an official report or statement submitted in response to a formal demand

official report or statement submitted in response to formal demand

• census returns

election to office

election to office

• I campaigned for the return of forty-four MPs

a mechanism or key on a typewriter that returns the carriage to a fixed position at the start of a new line.

mechanism or key on typewriter that returns carriage to fixed position at start of new line

a part receding from the line of the front, for example the side of a house or of a window opening.

part receding from line of front