"retroact" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "retro",
        "3": "act"
      },
      "expansion": "retro- + act",
      "name": "prefix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "retro- + act",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "retroacts",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "retroacting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "retroacted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "retroacted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "retroact (third-person singular simple present retroacts, present participle retroacting, simple past and past participle retroacted)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "74 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "66 34",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms prefixed with retro-",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1884, Edward Bellamy, “Chapter 15”, in Miss Ludington's Sister",
          "text": "In their eyes the past was good or bad for itself, and the present good or bad for itself, and an evil past could no more shadow a virtuous present than a virtuous present could retroact to brighten or redeem an ugly past.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act retrospectively, or in return; to act in opposition; to be retrospective."
      ],
      "id": "en-retroact-en-verb-uzBnKdHA",
      "links": [
        [
          "retrospectively",
          "retrospectively"
        ],
        [
          "in return",
          "in return"
        ],
        [
          "opposition",
          "opposition"
        ],
        [
          "retrospective",
          "retrospective"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to act backward, or in return; to act in opposition; to be retrospective",
          "word": "rétroagir"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to act backward, or in return; to act in opposition; to be retrospective",
          "word": "retroagire"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Law",
          "orig": "en:Law",
          "parents": [
            "Justice",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2001, Republic of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 9010",
          "text": "Sec. 4. The effectivity of this Act shall retroact to January 1, 2001.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To apply (a law) retroactively to situations that predate the enactment of the law."
      ],
      "id": "en-retroact-en-verb-t6JKDawz",
      "links": [
        [
          "law",
          "law#English"
        ],
        [
          "law",
          "law"
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        [
          "retroactively",
          "retroactively"
        ],
        [
          "predate",
          "predate"
        ],
        [
          "enactment",
          "enactment"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(law) To apply (a law) retroactively to situations that predate the enactment of the law."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "retroact"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms prefixed with retro-",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "retro",
        "3": "act"
      },
      "expansion": "retro- + act",
      "name": "prefix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "retro- + act",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "retroacts",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "retroacting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "retroacted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "retroacted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "retroact (third-person singular simple present retroacts, present participle retroacting, simple past and past participle retroacted)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1884, Edward Bellamy, “Chapter 15”, in Miss Ludington's Sister",
          "text": "In their eyes the past was good or bad for itself, and the present good or bad for itself, and an evil past could no more shadow a virtuous present than a virtuous present could retroact to brighten or redeem an ugly past.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To act retrospectively, or in return; to act in opposition; to be retrospective."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "retrospectively",
          "retrospectively"
        ],
        [
          "in return",
          "in return"
        ],
        [
          "opposition",
          "opposition"
        ],
        [
          "retrospective",
          "retrospective"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
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        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "en:Law"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2001, Republic of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 9010",
          "text": "Sec. 4. The effectivity of this Act shall retroact to January 1, 2001.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To apply (a law) retroactively to situations that predate the enactment of the law."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "law",
          "law#English"
        ],
        [
          "law",
          "law"
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        [
          "retroactively",
          "retroactively"
        ],
        [
          "predate",
          "predate"
        ],
        [
          "enactment",
          "enactment"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(law) To apply (a law) retroactively to situations that predate the enactment of the law."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to act backward, or in return; to act in opposition; to be retrospective",
      "word": "rétroagir"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to act backward, or in return; to act in opposition; to be retrospective",
      "word": "retroagire"
    }
  ],
  "word": "retroact"
}