See return the favor in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"forms": [
{
"form": "returns the favor",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "returning the favor",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "returned the favor",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "returned the favor",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "return the favour",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"UK"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*"
},
"expansion": "return the favor (third-person singular simple present returns the favor, present participle returning the favor, simple past and past participle returned the favor)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
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},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Polish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
}
],
"coordinate_terms": [
{
"word": "pay back"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
77,
93
]
],
"text": "I did some snow shoveling for him when he was ill, and he was kind enough to return the favor this year. [positive valence]",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
43,
59
]
],
"text": "They ignored my request, so I was happy to return the favor when I got the chance. [negative valence produced by sarcasm]",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
147,
163
]
],
"ref": "2006, David Schmidtz, The Elements of Justice, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 83:",
"text": "Having received an unearned windfall, we are in debt. The moral scales are out of balance. The canonical way to restore a measure of balance is to return the favor to our benefactor, as per symmetrical reciprocity. However, the canonical way is not the only way. Another way is to pass the favor on, as per transitive reciprocity.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
116,
132
]
],
"ref": "2010, Scott M. James, An Introduction to Evolutionary Ethics, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 140:",
"text": "Let's say Gertrude shared some of her food with you. This recognition in turn triggers a judgment that you ought to return the favor – that is, you ought to share some of your food with Gertrude when the opportunity arises.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To do something for someone, or to someone, similar to what they did for you or to you (whether good or bad)."
],
"id": "en-return_the_favor-en-verb-0AAfsDt5",
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To do something for someone, or to someone, similar to what they did for you or to you (whether good or bad)."
],
"related": [
{
"word": "give and take"
},
{
"word": "golden rule"
},
{
"word": "one must give to get"
},
{
"tags": [
"noun"
],
"word": "payback"
},
{
"word": "quid pro quo"
},
{
"word": "reciprocity"
},
{
"word": "tit for tat"
},
{
"word": "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "Translations",
"word": "tehdä vastapalvelus"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "Translations",
"word": "renvoyer l'ascenseur"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "Translations",
"word": "rendre la pareille"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "Translations",
"word": "den Gefallen erwidern"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "Translations",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "odwdzięczać się"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "Translations",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "odwdzięczyć się"
}
]
}
],
"word": "return the favor"
}
{
"forms": [
{
"form": "returns the favor",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "returning the favor",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "returned the favor",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "returned the favor",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "return the favour",
"tags": [
"alternative",
"UK"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "*"
},
"expansion": "return the favor (third-person singular simple present returns the favor, present participle returning the favor, simple past and past participle returned the favor)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "give and take"
},
{
"word": "golden rule"
},
{
"word": "one must give to get"
},
{
"tags": [
"noun"
],
"word": "payback"
},
{
"word": "quid pro quo"
},
{
"word": "reciprocity"
},
{
"word": "tit for tat"
},
{
"word": "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours"
}
],
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"English idioms",
"English lemmas",
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"English terms with quotations",
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"English verbs",
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"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with German translations",
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"coordinate_terms": [
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"word": "pay back"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
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77,
93
]
],
"text": "I did some snow shoveling for him when he was ill, and he was kind enough to return the favor this year. [positive valence]",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
43,
59
]
],
"text": "They ignored my request, so I was happy to return the favor when I got the chance. [negative valence produced by sarcasm]",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
147,
163
]
],
"ref": "2006, David Schmidtz, The Elements of Justice, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 83:",
"text": "Having received an unearned windfall, we are in debt. The moral scales are out of balance. The canonical way to restore a measure of balance is to return the favor to our benefactor, as per symmetrical reciprocity. However, the canonical way is not the only way. Another way is to pass the favor on, as per transitive reciprocity.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
116,
132
]
],
"ref": "2010, Scott M. James, An Introduction to Evolutionary Ethics, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 140:",
"text": "Let's say Gertrude shared some of her food with you. This recognition in turn triggers a judgment that you ought to return the favor – that is, you ought to share some of your food with Gertrude when the opportunity arises.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To do something for someone, or to someone, similar to what they did for you or to you (whether good or bad)."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To do something for someone, or to someone, similar to what they did for you or to you (whether good or bad)."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "Translations",
"word": "tehdä vastapalvelus"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "Translations",
"word": "renvoyer l'ascenseur"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "Translations",
"word": "rendre la pareille"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "Translations",
"word": "den Gefallen erwidern"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "Translations",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "odwdzięczać się"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "Translations",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "odwdzięczyć się"
}
],
"word": "return the favor"
}
Download raw JSONL data for return the favor meaning in English (3.7kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-08-28 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-08-05 using wiktextract (872fc7b and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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