revenge

plural revenges

1. uncountableusuallyAny form of personal, retaliatory action against an individual, institution, or group for some alleged or perceived harm or injustice.

   They took revenge on their enemies.

   4 more examples

   Indifference is the sweetest revenge.

   When I left my wife, she tried to set fire to the house in revenge.

   After tearing his fave T-shirt unintentionally, my brother wreaked revenge on me by ripping my most prized blazer apart.

   Liam Neeson has revealed that years ago he contemplated carrying out a racist revenge attack after someone close to him was raped.

   2019 February 4, Megan Thomas, “Liam Neeson expresses regret for once contemplating racist revenge”, in CNN, archived from the original on 06 Oct 2022

   Synonyms: payback, wreak

2. uncountableusuallyA win by a previous loser.

   “I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”.

   1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC

   1 more example

   CHAOTICA: Arachnia, death as you know it has no hold on me. My defeat is but a temporary setback. I shall return to seek my revenge. JANEWAY: He doesn't give up, does he? PARIS: They never do. CHAOTICA: Our love was not meant to be, my Queen. But be warned. You have not seen the last of (gurgle) Chaotica.

   1999 January 27, Bride of Chaotica! (Star Trek: Voyager) (Science Fiction), Paramount Domestic Television, →OCLC

present singular third person revenges · participle present revenging · participle past revenged · past revenged

1. transitiveTo take revenge for (a particular harmful action) or on behalf of (its victim); to avenge.

   Arsenal revenged their loss to Manchester United last time with a 5–0 drubbing this time.

   3 more examples

   The gods are just, and will revenge our cause.

   1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC

   to revenge the death of our fathers

   1814, Lord Berners, The Ancient Chronicles of Sir John Froissart

   However, my veneration for that illustrious man was so great, that on the night when he died, I revenged him finely on his two principal enemies.

   c. 1840, Leigh Hunt, The Seer; Or, Common-places Refreshed

2. reflexivetransitiveTo take one's revenge (on or upon someone).

   We've finally revenged ourselves on our enemies.

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   Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come, Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius.

   1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]

3. archaicintransitiveTo take vengeance; to revenge itself.

   a bird that will revenge upon you all

   c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]

   1 more example

   Count it not hard henceforth, when thou dost hear That a just vengeance was by righteous court Justly reveng'd. […]

   1814, Dante Alighieri, “Canto VII”, in H[enry] F[rancis] Cary, transl., The Vision; or, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, of Dante Alighieri. […], volume III (Paradise), London: […] [J. Barfield] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, page 30, lines 45–47