Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense reverts, present participle reverting, past tense, past participle reverted
1. verb
When people or things revertto a previous state, system, or type of behaviour, they go back to it.
Jackson said her boss became increasingly depressed and reverted to smoking heavily. [VERB + to]
2. verb
When someone revertsto a previous topic, they start talking or thinking about it again.
[written]
In the car she reverted to the subject uppermost in her mind. [VERB + to]
3. verb
If you revertto your usual language, you start using that language again.
[literary]
After all these years she had reverted to her Veneto dialect and nobody could understandwhat she was saying. [VERBto noun]
4. verb
If property, rights, or money revertto someone, they become that person's again after someone else has had them for a period of time.
[law]
When the lease ends, the property reverts to the freeholder. [VERB + to]
Synonyms: return, go back to, be returned to, be once again in the possession of More Synonyms of revert
5.
See revert to type
More Synonyms of revert
revert in British English
verb (rɪˈvɜːt)(intransitive; foll byto)
1.
to go back to a former practice, condition, belief, etc
she reverted to her old wicked ways
2.
to take up again or come back to a former topic
3. biology
(of individuals, organs, etc) to return to a more primitive, earlier, or simpler condition or type
4. US
to reply to someone
we will revert to you with pricing and other details
5. property law
(of an estate or interest in land) to return to its former owner or his or her heirs when a grant, esp a grant for the lifetime of the grantee, comes to an end
6. revert to type
noun (ˈriːˌvɜːt)
7.
a person who, having been converted, has returned to his or her former beliefs or Church
▶ USAGE Since back is part of the meaning of revert, one should not say that someone reverts back to a certain type of behaviour
Derived forms
reverter (reˈverter)
noun
revertible (reˈvertible)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Latin revertere to return, from re- + vertere to turn
revert in American English
(rɪˈvɜrt)
verb intransitive
1.
to go back in action, thought, speech, etc.; return, as to a former practice, opinion, state, or subject
2. Biology
to return to a former or primitive type; show ancestral characteristics normally no longer present in the species
3. Law
to go back to a former owner or the heirs of such owner
noun
4.
a person or thing that reverts; esp., one who returns to a previous faith
Derived forms
revertible (reˈvertible)
adjective
Word origin
ME reverten < OFr revertir < VL *revertire, for L revertere < re-, back + vertere, to turn: see verse
Examples of 'revert' in a sentence
revert
Both of them always revert back to their 305 childish positions of attack and defence.
Sara MacDonald SEA MUSIC (2003)
He would recover and revert back to being his old passionate self.
Martin, Joy THE IMAGE OF LAURA (2003)
Cat wasn't looking forward to having Ashcroft in her house, though she doubted that he would revert to caveman tactics.
Elizabeth Lowell TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (2003)
Word lists with
revert
Property law terms
In other languages
revert
British English: revert VERB
When people or things revert to a previous state, system, or type of behaviour, they go back to it.
The area was farmland until 1970 but has reverted to woodland since.
American English: revert
Brazilian Portuguese: reverter
Chinese: 恢复 >先前的状态、制度或行为
European Spanish: volver a
French: revenir
German: zurückkehren
Italian: tornare
Japanese: 戻る
Korean: > 되돌아가다본래의 상태로
European Portuguese: reverter
Latin American Spanish: revertir
Chinese translation of 'revert'
revert
(rɪˈvəːt)
vi
to revert to[former state]回到 (huídào)
(Law)[money, property]物归(歸)原主 (wù guī yuánzhǔ)
1 (verb)
Definition
to go back to a former state
He reverted to his old bad habits.
Synonyms
go back
I decided to go back to bed.
return
More than 350,000 people have returned home.
come back
resume
lapse
recur
a theme that was to recur frequently in his work
relapse
He was relapsing into his usual gloom.
regress
Such countries are not developing at all, but regressing.
backslide
Keep these things in mind to help prevent you from backsliding.
take up where you left off
2 (verb)
Definition
(of an estate) to return to its former owner
The property reverts to the freeholder.
Synonyms
return
The pain returned in waves.
go back to
be returned to
be once again in the possession of
Usage note
Since the concept back is already contained in the re- part of the word revert, it is unnecessary to say that someone reverts back to a particular type of behaviour.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of backslide
Definition
to relapse into former bad habits or vices
Keep these things in mind to help prevent you from backsliding.
Synonyms
relapse,
slip,
weaken,
go wrong,
stray,
lapse,
revert to old habits,
fall back,
degenerate,
slip back to old ways,
regress,
go astray,
retrogress
in the sense of recur
Definition
to happen or occur again
a theme that was to recur frequently in his work
Synonyms
happen again,
return,
come back,
repeat,
persist,
revert,
reappear,
come and go,
come again
in the sense of regress
Definition
to return to a former and worse condition
Such countries are not developing at all, but regressing.