reverse
UK /ɹɪˈvɜːs/ · US /ɹɪˈvɝs/ adjective, adverb, noun, verb
Forms reverses reversing reversed
- adjective Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction. “We ate the meal in reverse order, starting with dessert and ending with the starter.”
- adjective Pertaining to engines, vehicle movement etc. moving in a direction opposite to the usual direction. “He selected reverse gear.”
- adjective (rail transport, of points) To be in the non-default position; to be set for the lesser-used route.
- adjective Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.
- adjective (botany) Reversed. “a reverse shell”
- adjective (genetics) In which cDNA synthetization is obtained from an RNA template.
- adverb (now rare) In a reverse way or direction; in reverse; upside-down.
- noun The opposite of something. “Division is the reverse of multiplication.”
- noun The act of going backwards; a reversal.
- noun A piece of misfortune; a setback.
- noun (numismatics) The tails side of a coin, or the side of a medal or badge that is opposite the obverse.
- noun The side of something facing away from a viewer, or from what is considered the front; the other side.
- noun The gear setting of an automobile that makes it travel backwards. (Denoted with symbol R on a shifter's labeling.) “I shifted into reverse and was just about to back up when our silly cat walked behind the car! Honk honk, kitty! Get out of there!”
- noun A thrust in fencing made with a backward turn of the hand; a backhanded stroke.
- noun (surgery) A turn or fold made in bandaging, by which the direction of the bandage is changed.
- verb (transitive) To turn something around so that it faces the opposite direction or runs in the opposite sequence. “to reverse the order of books on a shelf”
- verb (transitive) To turn something inside out or upside down.
- verb (transitive) To transpose the positions of two things.
- verb (transitive) To change totally; to alter to the opposite. “All trends reverse eventually.”
- verb (obsolete, intransitive) To return, come back.
Synonyms
upside down reverse gear transpose contrary opposite reversal setback blow black eye verso reversion turnabout turnaround change by reversal turn turn back invert overrule overturn override overthrow revoke annul lift countermand repeal rescind vacate rearward inverse
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English revers, from Anglo-Norman revers, Middle French revers, and their source, Latin reversus, perfect passive participle of reversō, from re- + versō. Doublet of revers.
From Middle English reversen, from Anglo-Norman reverser, Middle French reverser, and their source, Latin reversō, from re- + versō.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Turned backward; having a contrary or opposite direction; hence; opposite or contrary in kind; as, the reverse order or method. "A vice reverse unto this." Gower.
- adjective Turned upside down; greatly disturbed. [Obs.]
- noun That which appears or is presented when anything, as a lance, a line, a course of conduct, etc., is reverted or turned contrary to its natural direction.
- noun That which is directly opposite or contrary to something else; a contrary; an opposite. Chaucer.
Etymology [OE. revers, OF. revers, L. reversus, p. p. of revertere. See Revert.]
Etymology [Cf. F. revers. See Reverse, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “reverse”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details