# return

/ɹiˈtɝn/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/return
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to go back

verb · CEFR A1

to come or go back to a place where you were before.

For teachers: to come or go back to a previous place, person, or state. Intransitive in this sense.

- We decided to return to the hotel because it started to rain.
- After a decade of living in the capital, he felt a profound urge to return to the quiet coastal village where he was raised.

### 2. to give back

verb · CEFR A1

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

For teachers: 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.

### 3. to respond

verb · CEFR B1

to do or say something in response to someone else.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. the act of going back

noun · CEFR A2

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

For teachers: 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.

### 5. financial profit

noun · CEFR B2

the profit or money you get back from an investment.

For teachers: 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.

### 6. official report

noun · CEFR B1 · Formal

an official document or report, especially about taxes.

For teachers: 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.

### 7. travel ticket

noun · CEFR A2 · British English

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

For teachers: 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.

Usage: In American English, this is almost always called a 'round-trip ticket'.

### 8. computing key

noun · CEFR B1

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

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- I am looking forward to your return from vacation.
- The company saw a significant return on its investment after the new product line became a global success.
- The explorer's triumphant return to the capital was met with a grand parade, celebrating the successful completion of a journey many had deemed impossible.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.