return

A1 · Beginner

v. to give or send something back to the person who owns it.

v. to restore something to its original owner, holder, or place. Transitive — requires a direct object.

“Don't forget to return your library books on time.”

“The customer requested to return the defective laptop for a full refund after discovering the screen was cracked.”

B1 · Intermediate

v. to do or say something in response to someone else.

v. to say something in reply or to reciprocate an action, such as a greeting or a phone call.

“I need to return her call before the office closes.”

“She returned his smile with a polite nod, though she couldn't quite remember where they had met before.”

A2 · Elementary Uncountable noun

n. the act of coming back to a place or a previous situation.

n. the occurrence of coming or going back to a place or state.

“Everyone was excited about the hero's return to the city.”

“The sudden return of the symptoms concerned the doctors, as the patient had been stable for several weeks.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Finance

n. the profit or money you get back from an investment.

n. the gain or loss generated on an investment relative to the amount of money invested.

“The savings account offers a very low return on your money.”

“Investors are seeking a higher rate of return to compensate for the increased risks associated with emerging markets.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Law Formal

n. an official document or report, especially about taxes.

n. a formal report or statement of statistics or facts, most commonly used for tax declarations.

“You must send your tax return to the government by April.”

“The company filed its annual returns late, resulting in a significant financial penalty from the regulatory body.”

A2 · Elementary Countable noun British English

n. a ticket that lets you travel to a place and back again.

n. a ticket valid for a journey to a destination and back to the starting point.

“A return to London is much cheaper than two single tickets.”

“The commuter purchased a monthly return, finding it more economical than paying the daily peak-time fare.”

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun Computing

n. the key on a keyboard that you press to start a new line.

n. a key on a computer keyboard used to terminate a line of text or execute a command.

“Type your password and then press return.”

“The programmer noted that the script failed to execute because the carriage return character was missing from the end of the file.”