revenge

Sayri-VENJ/ɹəˈvɛnd͡ʒ/AUS/ɹəˈvendʒ/

Verbrevenges, revenging, revenged

5 meanings of revenge

1
noununcountable
Action taken to hurt someone back because they hurt you first.
Like hitting back at someone because they hit you first.
She wanted revenge after they wrecked her bike on purpose.
Taking revenge only made the fight between them worse.
Similarpayback
Oppositeforgiveness
Note
2
verbtransitive
To pay someone back for a harmful act done to you or to a person you care about.
Like paying someone back for being mean to your friend.
He swore to revenge his brother's death.
She revenged the insult by exposing their lies.
Similaravenge
Oppositeforgive
Note
3
verbreflexivetransitive
To get back at someone by hurting them after they hurt you.
She revenged herself on the rivals who had betrayed her.
He wanted to revenge himself upon his former partner.
Similaravenge
Note
4
noununcountable
A win against a person or team that beat you earlier.
Like beating the team that beat you last time.
The team finally got their revenge with a 3–0 win.
Beating last year's champions felt like sweet revenge.
Similarpayback
Note

Less common meaning

5
verbarchaicintransitive
To take vengeance for a wrong.
The old lord vowed he would revenge before his days were done.
a bird that will revenge upon you all
c. 1591, William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt,”Here, revenge means to get back at someone for a wrong.
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1, 4

From Middle French revenge, from a verb meaning to take revenge. It goes back through Old French to the Latin word vindico.

Meanings 2–3, 5

From Middle English revengen, which came from Old French revengier.