reverse
Other forms: reversed; reversing
To go in reverse, you back up. If you reverse your position, you suddenly take the opposite side of the argument. If you reverse your fortunes, your bad luck turns good, or your good luck turns bad. Oops.
The Latin word revertere means “turn back.” To reverse means to turn back, take the opposite direction, go the other way. Many things can be reversed: you can reverse a decision, you can reverse a car — by putting it in the gear called "reverse." You can reverse a political argument, a promotion, even some surgical procedures, but you can never reverse the steady progress of time, no matter how many Botox injections you get.
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change to the contrary“The trend was reversed”synonyms: change by reversal, turntypes:alternate, flip, flip-flop, interchange, switch, tackreverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)commutatereverse the direction of (an alternating electric current) each half cycle so as to produce a unidirectional currentfalsifyfalsify knowinglyundocancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effectdebuglocate and correct errors in a computer program coderesilereturn to the original position or state after being stretched or compressedunstrapremove the strap or straps fromunhitchunfasten or release from or as if from a hitchunpickundo (the stitches) of (a piece of sewing)unfastencause to become undoneunbeltundo the belt ofunstapletake the staples offunclipremove the clip fromunbuttonundo the buttons ofunpinremove the pins from; unfasten the pins ofunbraidundo the braids ofunknot, unpick, unravel, unscramble, untanglebecome or cause to become undone by separating the fibers or threads ofunbuckleundo the buckle ofunwireundo the wiring oftype of:changeundergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
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reject, reverse, or overturn a decision, ruling, or argument
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cancel officially
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reverse the position, order, relation, or condition of
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reversed (turned backward) in order or nature or effect
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a relation of direct opposition
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an unfortunate happening that hinders or impedes; something that is thwarting or frustrating
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turn inside out or upside down
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directed or moving toward the rear
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of the transmission gear causing backward movement in a motor vehicle“in reverse gear”antonyms:forwardof the transmission gear causing forward movement in a motor vehicle
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turning in the opposite directionsynonyms: reversal, reversion, turnabout, turnaroundtypes:u-turncomplete reversal of direction of traveltype of:
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the gears by which the motion of a machine can be reversedsynonyms: reverse geartype of:gear, gear mechanisma mechanism for transmitting motion for some specific purpose (as the steering gear of a vehicle)
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(American football) a running play in which a back running in one direction hands the ball to a back running in the opposite directiontypes:double reverse(American football) a running play in which a first reverse is followed by a second reversetype of:run, running, running game, running play(American football) a play in which a player attempts to carry the ball through or past the opposing team
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the side of a coin or medal that does not bear the principal design
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Vocabulary lists containing reverse
Word Generation Weekly, a multidisciplinary program for teachers to implement in their classrooms, combines vocabulary with discussion and debate of various dilemmas. Here are links to the word lists for Word Generation Weekly: Series 1, Series 2, Series 3.
Stories about glowing sea creatures, an unusually agile skunk, and heroic dogs all contributed words to this list of vocabulary from the week's news.