n.
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 a : the act of coming back to or from a place or condition b : a regular or frequent returning : RECURRENCE
2 a (1) : the delivery of a legal order (as a writ) to the proper officer or court (2) : an endorsed certificate stating an official's action in the execution of such an order (3) : the sending back of a commission with the certificate of the commissioners b : an account or formal report c (1) : a report of the results of balloting ― usually used in plural <election return s > (2) : an official declaration of the election of a candidate (3) chiefly British : ELECTION d (1) : a formal statement on a required legal form showing taxable income, allowable deductions and exemptions, and the computation of the tax due (2) : a list of taxable property
3 a : the continuation usually at a right angle of the face or of a member of a building or of a molding or group of moldings b : a means for conveying something (as water) back to its starting point
4 a : a quantity of goods, consignment, or cargo coming back in exchange for goods sent out as a mercantile venture b : the value of or profit from such venture c (1) : the profit from labor, investment, or business : YIELD (2) plural : RESULTS d : the rate of profit in a process of production per unit of cost
5 a : the act of returning something to a former place, condition, or ownership : RESTITUTION <the return of stolen goods> b : something returned especially plural : unsold publications returned to the publisher for cash or credit
6 a : something given in repayment or reciprocation <a return on their years of hard work> b : ANSWER , RETORT
7 : an answering play: as a : a lead in a suit previously led by one's partner in a card game b : the action or an instance of returning a ball (as in football or tennis)
8 chiefly British : ROUND-TRIP
– in return : in reciprocation, compensation, or repayment