Re*turn" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Returned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Returning.] [OE. returnen, retournen, F. retourner; pref. re- re- + tourner to turn. See Turn.] 1. To turn back; to go or come again to the same place or condition. "Return to your father's house." Chaucer.

On their embattled ranks the waves return.

If they returned out of bondage, it must be into a state of freedom.

Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

2. To come back, or begin again, after an interval, regular or irregular; to appear again.

With the year
Seasons return; but not me returns
Day or the sweet approach of even or morn.

3. To speak in answer; to reply; to respond.

He said, and thus the queen of heaven returned.

4. To revert; to pass back into possession.

And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David.

5. To go back in thought, narration, or argument. "But to return to my story." Fielding.

Re*turn", v. t. 1. To bring, carry, send, or turn, back; as, to return a borrowed book, or a hired horse.

Both fled attonce, ne ever back returned eye.

2. To repay; as, to return borrowed money.

3. To give in requital or recompense; to requite.

The Lord shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head.

4. To give back in reply; as, to return an answer; to return thanks.

5. To retort; to throw back; as, to return the lie.

If you are a malicious reader, you return upon me, that I affect to be thought more impartial than I am.

6. To report, or bring back and make known.

And all the people answered together, . . . and Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

7. To render, as an account, usually an official account, to a superior; to report officially by a list or statement; as, to return a list of stores, of killed or wounded; to return the result of an election.

8. Hence, to elect according to the official report of the election officers. [Eng.]

9. To bring or send back to a tribunal, or to an office, with a certificate of what has been done; as, to return a writ.

10. To convey into official custody, or to a general depository.

Instead of a ship, he should levy money, and return the same to the treasurer for his majesty's use.

11. (Tennis) To bat (the ball) back over the net.

12. (Card Playing) To lead in response to the lead of one's partner; as, to return a trump; to return a diamond for a club.

Syn. -- To restore; requite; repay; recompense; render; remit; report.

Re*turn" (?), n. 1. The act of returning (intransitive), or coming back to the same place or condition; as, the return of one long absent; the return of health; the return of the seasons, or of an anniversary.

At the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

His personal return was most required and necessary.

2. The act of returning (transitive), or sending back to the same place or condition; restitution; repayment; requital; retribution; as, the return of anything borrowed, as a book or money; a good return in tennis.

You made my liberty your late request:
Is no return due from a grateful breast?

3. That which is returned. Specifically: (a) A payment; a remittance; a requital.

I do expect return
Of thrice three times the value of this bond.

(b) An answer; as, a return to one's question. (c) An account, or formal report, of an action performed, of a duty discharged, of facts or statistics, and the like; as, election returns; a return of the amount of goods produced or sold; especially, in the plural, a set of tabulated statistics prepared for general information. (d) The profit on, or advantage received from, labor, or an investment, undertaking, adventure, etc.

The fruit from many days of recreation is very little; but from these few hours we spend in prayer, the return is great.

4. (Arch.) The continuation in a different direction, most often at a right angle, of a building, face of a building, or any member, as a molding or mold; -- applied to the shorter in contradistinction to the longer; thus, a facade of sixty feet east and west has a return of twenty feet north and south.

5. (Law) (a) The rendering back or delivery of writ, precept, or execution, to the proper officer or court. (b) The certificate of an officer stating what he has done in execution of a writ, precept, etc., indorsed on the document. (c) The sending back of a commission with the certificate of the commissioners. (d) A day in bank. See Return day, below. Blackstone.

6. (Mil. & Naval) An official account, report, or statement, rendered to the commander or other superior officer; as, the return of men fit for duty; the return of the number of the sick; the return of provisions, etc.

7. pl. (Fort. & Mining) The turnings and windings of a trench or mine.

Re*turn" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Returned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Returning.] [OE. returnen, retournen, F. retourner; pref. re- re- + tourner to turn. See Turn.] 1. To turn back; to go or come again to the same place or condition. "Return to your father's house." Chaucer.

On their embattled ranks the waves return.

If they returned out of bondage, it must be into a state of freedom.

Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

2. To come back, or begin again, after an interval, regular or irregular; to appear again.

With the year
Seasons return; but not me returns
Day or the sweet approach of even or morn.

3. To speak in answer; to reply; to respond.

He said, and thus the queen of heaven returned.

4. To revert; to pass back into possession.

And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David.

5. To go back in thought, narration, or argument. "But to return to my story." Fielding.

Re*turn", v. t. 1. To bring, carry, send, or turn, back; as, to return a borrowed book, or a hired horse.

Both fled attonce, ne ever back returned eye.

2. To repay; as, to return borrowed money.

3. To give in requital or recompense; to requite.

The Lord shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head.

4. To give back in reply; as, to return an answer; to return thanks.

5. To retort; to throw back; as, to return the lie.

If you are a malicious reader, you return upon me, that I affect to be thought more impartial than I am.

6. To report, or bring back and make known.

And all the people answered together, . . . and Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

7. To render, as an account, usually an official account, to a superior; to report officially by a list or statement; as, to return a list of stores, of killed or wounded; to return the result of an election.

8. Hence, to elect according to the official report of the election officers. [Eng.]

9. To bring or send back to a tribunal, or to an office, with a certificate of what has been done; as, to return a writ.

10. To convey into official custody, or to a general depository.

Instead of a ship, he should levy money, and return the same to the treasurer for his majesty's use.

11. (Tennis) To bat (the ball) back over the net.

12. (Card Playing) To lead in response to the lead of one's partner; as, to return a trump; to return a diamond for a club.

Syn. -- To restore; requite; repay; recompense; render; remit; report.

Re*turn" (?), n. 1. The act of returning (intransitive), or coming back to the same place or condition; as, the return of one long absent; the return of health; the return of the seasons, or of an anniversary.

At the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

His personal return was most required and necessary.

2. The act of returning (transitive), or sending back to the same place or condition; restitution; repayment; requital; retribution; as, the return of anything borrowed, as a book or money; a good return in tennis.

You made my liberty your late request:
Is no return due from a grateful breast?

3. That which is returned. Specifically: (a) A payment; a remittance; a requital.

I do expect return
Of thrice three times the value of this bond.

(b) An answer; as, a return to one's question. (c) An account, or formal report, of an action performed, of a duty discharged, of facts or statistics, and the like; as, election returns; a return of the amount of goods produced or sold; especially, in the plural, a set of tabulated statistics prepared for general information. (d) The profit on, or advantage received from, labor, or an investment, undertaking, adventure, etc.

The fruit from many days of recreation is very little; but from these few hours we spend in prayer, the return is great.

4. (Arch.) The continuation in a different direction, most often at a right angle, of a building, face of a building, or any member, as a molding or mold; -- applied to the shorter in contradistinction to the longer; thus, a facade of sixty feet east and west has a return of twenty feet north and south.

5. (Law) (a) The rendering back or delivery of writ, precept, or execution, to the proper officer or court. (b) The certificate of an officer stating what he has done in execution of a writ, precept, etc., indorsed on the document. (c) The sending back of a commission with the certificate of the commissioners. (d) A day in bank. See Return day, below. Blackstone.

6. (Mil. & Naval) An official account, report, or statement, rendered to the commander or other superior officer; as, the return of men fit for duty; the return of the number of the sick; the return of provisions, etc.

7. pl. (Fort. & Mining) The turnings and windings of a trench or mine.

• To give something back to its original holder/owner.
  
• To take something back to a retailer for a refund.
  
• To come back after some period of time, or at regular intervals.
  
• To go back in thought, narration, or argument. "But to return to my story."
  
• (Tennis): To bat the ball in response to a serve over the net.
  
• (Card games): To play a card as a result of another player's lead; return a trump.
  
• (cricket) To throw a ball back to the wicket-keeper (or a fielder at that position) from somewhere in the field.
  
• (computing) A character that indicates a new line. Hexadecimal %x0d, decimal 13. Old typewriters had a carraige that lined up the paper with the printing strike-arms; with the advent of electronic typewriters, the "carraige return" key would realign the printing at the left margin, and advance to a new line. Early computers added (13,10) to indicate a new line, with variations such as (10), (13) and even (10,13). Modern computer use has expanded the meaning to denote a new paragraph.
  
• An item that is returned.
  
• (computing) To go back from a called procedure to the procedure that called it.
  
• (Finance): A report of income submitted to a government for purposes of specifying exact tax payment amounts. A tax return.
  
• The act of a person returning. "Upon my return..."
  
• A short extention (perpendicular) of a desk, usually slightly lower.
  
• (finance) the income arising from an investment. "It yields a return of 5%..."
  
• (Football (American)): Catching a ball after a punt, and running it back towards the opposing team.
  
• (cricket) A throw from a fielder to the wicket-keeper or to another fielder at the wicket.