return

Although the birds fly north for the summer, they return here in winter.

The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 58:

"I came through and I shall return," General MacArthur declared when he spoke at Terowie of the beleagured Philippines.

1942, “'I Came Through; I Shall Return'”, in The Advertiser:

As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.

1963, Margery Allingham, “Meeting Point”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 232:

(intransitive) To come or go back (to a place or person).

To come or go back (to a place or person).

To return to my story[…]

(intransitive) To go back in thought, narration, or argument.

Winter returns every year.

‘I suppose here is none woll be glad to returne – and as for me,’ seyde Sir Cador, ‘I had lever dye this day that onys to turne my bak.’

1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book V, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC:

(intransitive, obsolete) To turn back, retreat.

Whan Kyng Marke harde hym sey that worde, he returned his horse and abode by hym.

1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum xiij”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book X, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC:

(transitive, obsolete) To turn (something) round.

Please return your hands to your lap.

(transitive) To place or put back something where it had been.

You should return the library book within one month.

(transitive) To give something back to its original holder or owner.

[…]the Lord ſhall returne thy wickedneſſe vpon thine owne head.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Kings 2:44, column 2:

To give in requital or recompense; to requite.

Hello, I'm just returning your call. What did you want to talk about?

(transitive) To reciprocate (a visit or telephone call).

To reciprocate (a visit or telephone call).

Yeah, it's $600,000 but, if it doesn't work, you can always return it. As long as it's undamaged and in the original packaging, I'll give you a full refund.

(transitive) To take back something to a vendor for a complete or partial refund.

The player couldn't return the serve because it was so fast.

(tennis) To bat the ball back over the net in response to a serve.

If one players plays a trump, the others must return a trump.

(card games) To play a card as a result of another player's lead.

(cricket) To throw a ball back to the wicket-keeper (or a fielder at that position) from somewhere in the field.

to return an answer;  to return thanks;  "Do it yourself!" she returned.

“No!” returned the spy. “I throw up. I confess that we were so unpopular with the outrageous mob, that I only got away from England at the risk of being ducked to death […]

1859, Charles Dickens, “A Hand at Cards”, in A Tale of Two Cities, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, book III (The Track of a Storm), page 205:

“Ah my good friend, I do look out,” the young man returned while Maisie helped herself afresh to bread and butter.

1897 October 16, Henry James, chapter XII, in What Maisie Knew, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Herbert S. Stone & Co., →OCLC, page 132:

(transitive) To say in reply; to respond.

(intransitive, computing) To relinquish control to the calling procedure.

This function returns the number of files in the directory.

(transitive, computing) To pass (data) back to the calling procedure.

To pass (data) back to the calling procedure.

to return the lie

And now, if you are a Malicious Reader, I expect you ſhould return upon me, that I affect to be thought more Impartial than I am.

1681, [John Dryden], “To the Reader”, in Absalom and Achitophel. A Poem. […], 3rd edition, London: […] J[acob] T[onson] and are to be sold by W. Davis […], published 1682, →OCLC:

(transitive, dated) To retort; to throw back.

to return the result of an election

And all the people anſwered together, [...] and Moſes returned the wordes of the people vnto the Lord.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 19:8, column 2:

(transitive) To report, or bring back and make known.

To report, or bring back and make known.

(British, by extension, dated in the US) To elect according to the official report of the election officers.

(fencing) To give a thrust or cut after parrying a sword-thrust.

en-verb

return (third-person singular simple present returns, present participle returning, simple past and past participle returned)

returns (present singular third-person)
returning (participle present)
returned (participle past)
returned (past)
returne (alternative)
retvrn (alternative)

վերադառնալ

to go back in thought, narration, or argument

أَرْجَعَ

to give something back to its original holder or owner

maksaa samalla mitalla

to give in requital or recompense; to requite

връщам

tennis: to bat the ball back over the net in response to a serve

отговарям

card games: to play a card as a result of another player's lead

palauttaa

cricket: to throw a ball back to the wicket-keeper

palata

computing: to relinquish control to the calling procedure

retourneren

computing: to pass back (data) to the calling procedure

From Middle English returnen, retornen, from Anglo-Norman returner, from Old French retourner, retorner, from Medieval Latin retornare (“to turn back”), from re- + tornare (“to turn”). Compare beturn.

der

Medieval Latin retornare (“to turn back”)


return

I expect the house to be spotless upon my return.

I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railroad station.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, pages 12–13:

[…] of the existence or nonexistence of parental intent to abandon a subject minor child, whether the best interests and welfare of such minor child will be served by taking custody from the parents, and whether return of a child to the parents would be detrimental to such child.

1976, Reports of Cases Determined in the Courts of Appeal of the State of California, page 423:

Do you want a one-way or a return?

Last year there were 250 returns of this product, an improvement on the 500 returns the year before.

An item that is returned, e.g. due to a defect, or the act of returning it.

a return to one's question

election returns; a return of the amount of goods produced or sold

The other returns having come in, the result of the poll, that Sir James Graham had been superseded by Major Aglionby, was declared at Carlisle soon after 11 a.m.

1942 May-June, Charles E. Lee, “The Brampton Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 140, relating to an election in 1837:

An account, or formal report, of an action performed, of a duty discharged, of facts or statistics, etc.; especially, in the plural, a set of tabulated statistics prepared for general information.

It yielded a return of 5%.

from the few hours we spend in prayer and the exercises of a pious life, the return is great and profitable

1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Francis Ashe […], →OCLC:

Liverpool have now won only five of their 17 home league games this season. It is a poor return for a team of Liverpool's pedigree and resources but, once again, Kenny Dalglish's team were the instigators of their own downfall as chance after chance went begging.

2012 April 22, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 West Brom”, in BBC Sport:

Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.

2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68:

Hand in your return within 90 days of the end of the tax year.

(taxation, finance) A report of income submitted to a government for purposes of specifying exact tax payment amounts; a tax return.

(computing) A carriage return character.

(computing) The act of relinquishing control to the calling procedure.

(computing) A return value: the data passed back from a called procedure.

The boiler technician had to cut out the heating return to access the safety valve.

A return pipe, returning fluid to a boiler or other central plant (compare with flow pipe, which carries liquid away from a central plant).

(mining) A roadway along which foul air travels from the face on its way out of the mine.

A short perpendicular extension of a desk, usually slightly lower.

(American football) The act of catching a ball after a punt and running it back towards the opposing team.

(cricket) A throw from a fielder to the wicket-keeper or to another fielder at the wicket.

A facade of sixty feet east and west has a return of twenty feet north and south.

(architecture) The continuation in a different direction, most often at a right angle, of a building, face of a building, or any member, such as a moulding; applied to the shorter in contradistinction to the longer.

en-noun

return (countable and uncountable, plural returns)

returns (plural)
returne (alternative)
retvrn (alternative)

anything else, e.g. a book or empty bottle

отчет

formal report, set of tabulated statistics prepared for general information

доход

finance: gain or loss from an investment

paluu

computing: act of relinquishing control to the calling procedure