revert

verb

re·​vert ri-ˈvərt 

reverted; reverting; reverts

intransitive verb

1

: to come or go back (as to a former condition, period, or subject)

2

: to return to the proprietor or his or her heirs at the end of a reversion

3

: to return to an ancestral type

reverter noun

revertible

ri-ˈvər-tə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• regress
• retrogress
• return

Examples of revert in a Sentence

after the national emergency had passed, the political parties abandoned their shotgun unity and reverted to their partisan squabbling

Recent Examples on the Web

Efforts were concentrated last summer on an unprecedented spending spree of nearly £200million on nine new signings, but the narrative this summer could revert back to players in the squad likely to attract weighty transfer interest. —Andy Naylor, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025

His proposal also would remove an enhanced credit for Idahoans 65 years and older, and instead revert them to the same credit that others receive. —Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 27 Jan. 2025

President Trump also reverted Biden’s rescission of a 2017 Trump-era memorandum that had created a list of sanctioned Cuban military companies. —Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2025

The highest mountain in North America, now known as Denali, will revert back to Mount McKinley, its name until President Barack Obama changed it. —Bill Barrow, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French revertir, from Latin revertere, transitive verb, "to turn back" & reverti, intransitive verb, "to return, come back," from re- + vertere, verti "to turn" — more at worth

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing revert

• revert to
• revert to type

Kids Definition

revert

verb

re·​vert ri-ˈvərt 

1

: to come or go back

reverted to the customs of their ancestors

2

: to experience reversion

Medical Definition

revert

intransitive verb

re·​vert ri-ˈvərt 

: to undergo reversion

revertible

-ˈvərt-ə-bəl 

adjective

Legal Definition

revert

intransitive verb

re·​vert ri-ˈvərt 

1

: to come or go back (as to a former status or state)

if the donee of a general power fails to exercise it…the appointive assets revert to the donor's estate

—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.

2

: to return to the grantor or his or her heirs as a reversion

revertible

-ˈvər-tə-bəl 

adjective