revert

re·vert
R1E1V4E1R1T1
/ɹəˈvɜː(ɹ)t//ɹiːˈvɜː(ɹ)t//ˈɹiːˌvɜːt/

noun

One who, or that which, reverts.

“We've found that git reverts are at least an order of magnitude faster than SVN reverse merges.”

Opposite

Meanings

nounrevert (plural reverts)

plural reverts

  1. One who, or that which, reverts.
  2. lifestyleOne who reverts to that religion which one had adhered to before having converted to another.

    [...] Cyril III ibn Laqlaq’s correspondence which reflects genuine—if intentionally vague—concern for the secretive community of Christian converts and reverts [who had converted to Islam before].

    2010, Kurt J. Werthmuller, Coptic Identity and Ayyubid Politics in Egypt: 1218-1250, page 77
  3. ideologically loaded; due to the belief that all people are born Muslim; ideologically loaded; due to the belief that all people are born MuslimIslamA convert to Islam.

    Parents should not reject a proposal without good reason — and being a revert with a past is not an acceptable one.

    2001, Islamic Society of North America, Islamic horizons
    1 more example

    Zeba Siddiqui, herself a revert and editor of the Parent's Manual: A Guide for Muslim Parents Living in North America, contributed to this book as a consultant.

    1997, Islamic Society of North America, Islamic horizons, page 27
  4. computingThe act of reversion (of e.g. a database transaction or source control repository) to an earlier state.

    We've found that git reverts are at least an order of magnitude faster than SVN reverse merges.

  5. The skateboard maneuver of rotating the board 180 degrees or more while the wheels remain on the ground.

    In short tutorials, the player learns the basics of skating: reverts, manuals and the ollie […]

    2007, Friedrich von Borries, Steffen P. Walz, Matthias Böttger, Space Time Play: Computer Games, Architecture and Urbanism, page 124
verbrevert (third-person singular simple present reverts, present participle reverting, simple past and past participle reverted)

present singular third person reverts · participle present reverting · participle past reverted · past reverted

  1. archaictransitiveTo turn back, or turn to the contrary; to reverse.

    Till happy Chance reverts the cruel scene.

    c. 1700, Matthew Prior, A Passage in the Moriae Encomium of Erasmus
    1 more example

    The trembling stream […] / Reverted, plays in undulating flow.

    a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC
  2. transitiveTo cause to return to a former condition.

    Conuert his Gyues to Graces. So that my Arrowes / Too ſlightly timbred for ſo loud a Winde, / Would haue reuerted to my Bow againe, / And not where I had arm’d them.

    c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vii], page 275, column 2

    Synonyms: restore, roll back

  3. transitiveTo reverse (a change).

    You can use page histories to easily revert (that is, reverse) another editor's inappropriate edit.

    2008, John Broughton, Wikipedia: The Missing Manual, page 82
    2 more examples

    This makes sense because you've committed the changes locally, but then reverted them at the server level.

    1998, Tamar E. Granor, Ted Roche, Steven Black, Hacker's Guide to Visual FoxPro 6.0, page 826

    When s.o.'s edit doesn't apply to my standards, I can revert it. And that person can revert me too.

    2008, Kidd, Terry T., Chen, Irene, Social Information Technology: Connecting Society and Cultural Issues, page 261

    Synonyms: undo

  4. transitiveTo reverse a change made by (a person).

    When s.o.'s edit doesn't apply to my standards, I can revert it. And that person can revert me too.

    2008, Kidd, Terry T., Chen, Irene, Social Information Technology: Connecting Society and Cultural Issues, page 261
    1 more example

    She has, in other words, two beliefs: βc (the probability that the next editor will revert her, given that she cooperated) and βr (the probability that the next editor will revert her, given that she :Template:..

    2014, Simon DeDeo, “Group minds and the case of Wikipedia”, in Human Computation
  5. intransitiveTo return to the possession of.

    When a book goes out of print, rights revert from the publisher to the author.

    1. intransitivelawOf an estate: To return to its former owner, or to his or her heirs, when a grant comes to an end.
  6. transitiveTo cause (a property or rights) to return to the previous owner.

    Sometimes a publisher will automatically revert rights back to an author once a book has gone out of print.

    Synonyms: give back, restore, give back, reinstate, render, restore, return, revest

  7. intransitiveTo return to a former practice, condition, belief, etc.

    Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety. She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet.

    1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 2, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC
  8. intransitivebiologyTo return to an earlier or primitive type or state; to take on the traits or characters of an ancestral type.
  9. intransitiveTo change back, as from a soluble to an insoluble state or the reverse.

    Phosphoric acid in certain fertilizers reverts.

  10. intransitivenonstandardTo take up again or return to a previous topic.

    Synonyms: hark back

  11. archaicintransitiveTo return; to come back.

    If they attack, we will revert to the bunker.

  12. intransitiveIslamTo convert to Islam.

    The mission of 'translating' the Qur'an had preoccupied Pickthall's mind since he reverted to Islam.

    1997, Islamic Society of North America, Islamic horizons
    2 more examples

    He added that Islam is the religion of justice which rejects injustice, referring to the case of Mike Tyson and how he has become a real problem to the West since he reverted to Islam.

    1995, Wizārat al-Iʻlām wa-al-Thaqāfah, “Sudanow”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 20

    But once he reverted to Islam, he attended as many lectures as he could, listened to Islamic tapes and the recitations of Qur'an. Subtly and gradually his moods were stabilized, and he started to have positive outlook on life.

    2003, Islamic Revival Association, Al Jumuʻah: Volume 15, Issues 7-12
  13. intransitivenow globalTo reply (to correspondence, etc.).

    Please revert before Monday.

    Synonyms: revert back

  14. transitivemathematicsTo treat (a series, such as y=a+bx+cx²+⋯, where one variable y is expressed in powers of a second variable x), so as to find the second variable x expressed in a series arranged in powers of y.

    First we revert the series expansion (3.6) to give z(#92;zeta) as a series in z.

    1990, George A. Baker, Jr.; J. D. Johnson, “Thomas-Fermi Equation of State - The Hot Curve”, in Valdir C. Aguilera-Navarro, editor, Condensed Matter Theories, volume 5, →ISBN, page 5
    2 more examples

    To express z as a power series of n#92;lambda³, we first expand g#95;#123;3#47;2#125;(z) in z […] We then revert the power series to express z in terms of n#92;lambda³.

    2005, Frank Y. Wang, Physics with MAPLE: The Computer Algebra Resource for Mathematical Methods in Physics, →ISBN, pages 518–9

    We can revert the series expansion of #92;langlen#92;rangle#92;lambda³#95;T#47;g […] and obtain a series expansion for the fugacity z in terms of #92;langlen#92;rangle#92;lambda³#95;T#47;g, […]

    2016, Linda E. Reichl, A Modern Course in Statistical Physics, 4th edition, →ISBN, page 218

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo cause to return to a former condition.

verbTo reverse (a change).

Similar

verbTo cause (a property or rights) to return to the previous owner.

verbTo take up again or return to a previous topic.

Similar

verbTo reply (to correspondence, etc.).

Opposite
Broader

More synonyms by meaning

verbgo back to a previous state

Broader
change by reversalturnreverse

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Italic*wre-
  2. Latinre-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*wert-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*wértetor
  5. Proto-Italic*wertō
  6. Latinvertō
  7. Latinrevertor
  8. Old Frenchrevertir
  9. Englishrevert

From Old French revertir, from Vulgar Latin *revertiō, variant of Latin revertō.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian обръщам, връщам
  • обръщам (obrăštam)to turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
  • връщам (vrăštam)to throw back; to reflect; to reverberate
  • отразявам (otrazjavam)to throw back; to reflect; to reverberate
  • връщам (vrăštam)to cause to return to a former condition
  • връщам се (vrăštam se)to return; to come back
  • отговарям (otgovarjam)to reply
  • взимам обратно (vzimam obratno)to return to the possession of
  • връщам (vrăštam)to cause to return to the previous owner
Finnish kääntyjä, palaaja
  • kääntyjäone who reverts
  • palaajaone who reverts
  • käännynnäinenone who reverts
  • palaajaIslamic usage: convert to Islam
  • kääntää päinvastaiseksito turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
  • palauttaato throw back; to reflect; to reverberate
  • palauttaato cause to return to a former condition
  • palatato return to a former practice, condition, belief, etc.
  • taantuabiology: to return to an earlier or primitive type or state
  • palatabiology: to return to an earlier or primitive type or state
  • palautuato change back, as from a soluble to an insoluble state or the reverse
  • perääntyäto return; to come back
  • palatato return; to come back
  • palataMuslim usage: to convert to Islam
  • palatato reply
  • palatato return to the possession of
French retomber, retourner
  • retomberto turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
  • retournerto turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
  • redevenirto turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
  • renvoyerto throw back; to reflect; to reverberate
  • réverbérerto throw back; to reflect; to reverberate
  • refléterto throw back; to reflect; to reverberate
German rückgängig machen
  • rückgängig machento turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
Greek επαναφέρω
  • επαναφέρω (epanaféro)to turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
Italian convertito, ritornare
  • convertitoone who reverts
  • ritornareto turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
  • retrocedereto turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
  • ribaltareto turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
  • invertireto turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
  • ripensareto throw back; to reflect; to reverberate
  • riflettereto throw back; to reflect; to reverberate
  • ripercuotereto throw back; to reflect; to reverberate
  • ripercuotersito throw back; to reflect; to reverberate
  • ripristinareto cause to return to a former condition
  • riallacciareto cause to return to a former condition
  • regredireto cause to return to a former condition
  • riprendereto return to a former practice, condition, belief, etc.
Polish powrócić
  • powrócićto return; to come back
Portuguese revertido, revertida
  • revertidoIslamic usage: convert to Islam
  • revertidaIslamic usage: convert to Islam
  • reverterto cause to return to a former condition
  • reverterMuslim usage: to convert to Islam
Russian вернуть, деградировать
  • вернуть (vernutʹ)to cause to return to a former condition
  • деградировать (degradirovatʹ)biology: to return to an earlier or primitive type or state
  • вернуться (vernutʹsja)to return; to come back
  • отвечать (otvečatʹ)to reply
  • вернуть (vernutʹ)to cause to return to the previous owner
  • вернуться (vernutʹsja)to return to a previous subject of discourse or thought
Spanish revertir, revertir
  • revertirto turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse
  • revertirbiology: to return to an earlier or primitive type or state

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with revert

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

revert. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/revert

MLA

“revert.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/revert. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “revert,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/revert.

Source: revert on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.