INDEX:
1. to punish someone because they have harmed or offended you
2. action that is taken in order to punish someone who has harmed or offended you
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ ATTACK
↑ PUNISH
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1. to punish someone because they have harmed or offended you
▷ take/get revenge /ˌteɪk, ˌget rɪˈvendʒ/ [verb phrase]
to do something to punish someone who has harmed you, your family, or your friends :
take/get revenge on
▪ Gayle took revenge on her husband by cutting up all his best clothes.
take/get revenge for
▪ He was determined to get revenge for the murder of his sister.
take/get your revenge
▪ During the riot inmates took their revenge on prison guards.
▷ in retaliation /ɪn rɪˌtæliˈeɪʃ ə n/ [adverb]
if you do something in retaliation for something that someone has done to you, you do it to make them suffer even more than you did :
▪ Ross said he feared that he might be fired in retaliation.
in retaliation for
▪ The President ordered the bombings in retaliation for the attack.
▷ in revenge /ɪn rɪˈvendʒ/ [adverb]
if you do something in revenge for something that someone has done to you, you do it to get revenge :
▪ When she learned of her husband’s affairs, she turned to another man in revenge.
in revenge for
▪ They murdered Gillespi in revenge for the death of their brother.
▷ get back at also get your own back (on) British /get ˈbæk æt , ˌget jɔːr ˈəʊn bæk (ɒn)/ [verb phrase] informal
to do something which causes problems for someone, because they have done something that causes problems for you :
▪ Dad won’t let me go to the concert, but I’ll get back at him.
▪ Even if it took me ten years, I was determined to get my own back.
▪ He kept looking for a chance to get his own back on Freddie.
get back at for
▪ He wanted to get back at his supervisor for criticizing him in front of the other workers.
▷ get/pay somebody back /ˌget, ˌpeɪ somebody ˈbæk/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if you do something unpleasant or unkind to someone in order to get or pay them back, you do it in order to punish them because they have done something unkind or unpleasant to you :
▪ So then I told everyone one of her secrets to pay her back.
get/pay sb back for
▪ Someday I’ll get you back for this!
▪ John’s being difficult about the divorce just to pay me back for leaving him.
▷ get even /ˌget ˈiːv ə n/ [verb phrase] informal
if you get even with someone, you get revenge by doing something equally bad to them, in order to make yourself feel satisfied :
▪ He decided to get even by letting the air out of her tires.
get even with
▪ What can I do to get even with him?
▪ Hamilton’s supporters later tried to get even with Jefferson by calling him an adulterer.
▷ avenge /əˈvendʒ/ [transitive verb]
if you avenge an action that someone has done to you, you do something unpleasant or unkind in order to get revenge - used especially in literature :
▪ It was an insult which only Cassio’s death could avenge.
▪ The soldiers wanted to avenge their humiliating defeat the previous year.
▷ I’ll get somebody for this /aɪl ˈget somebody fəʳ ˌðɪs/ spoken
say this when someone has done something unpleasant to you and you are saying that you will get revenge :
▪ I’ll get you for this, you little brat.
▪ Did you hear what he just said to me? I’ll get him for this!
2. action that is taken in order to punish someone who has harmed or offended you
▷ revenge /rɪˈvendʒ/ [uncountable noun]
▪ The motive for the murder was clearly revenge.
seek revenge
▪ Members of the party are seeking revenge for the assassination of their leader.
revenge attack/killing/bombing
▪ Fearing revenge attacks, the government has sealed off the borders.
▷ reprisal /rɪˈpraɪz ə l/ [countable noun usually plural]
an action, especially a military or political one, that is a reaction to something that has been done by a country, government, organization etc :
▪ Some people will not report attacks to the police for fear of reprisals.
▪ Demonstrators surged through the capital city yesterday, ignoring threats of reprisals from the government.
reprisal for
▪ His murder was a reprisal for an injury to a rival gang member.
▷ vengeance /ˈvendʒəns/ [uncountable noun]
revenge, especially in the form of violent actions or behaviour, for something very harmful or violent that someone has done :
▪ Her desire for vengeance led her to shoot her daughter’s murderer.
▪ Nothing can justify the gunmens’ senseless acts of vengeance.
▷ vendetta /venˈdetə/ [countable noun]
a quarrel between two people or groups of people that has continued for a long time and during which the two sides keep trying to get revenge on each other :
▪ The killing was the result of a long-standing vendetta over gambling profits.
vendetta between
▪ The recent bombings may be a sign of a renewed vendetta between rival separatists.
vendetta against
▪ One of the gang members began a vendetta against her after she testified.
family/tribal/private/personal vendetta
▪ Ellis claims he is the victim of a conspiracy with a personal vendetta against him.
▷ tit for tat /ˌtɪt fəʳ ˈtæt/ [noun phrase]
something unpleasant done because someone has done something unpleasant to you :
▪ I didn’t invite her to my party because she didn’t invite me to hers. It was just tit for tat.
tit-for-tat killings/bombings/raids etc
▪ Eight people have died in this latest round of tit-for-tat killings.