returning

verb

present participle of return
1
as in restoring
to bring, send, or put back to a former or proper place when I'm done reading a book, I always return it to the very shelf I got it from

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in yielding
to produce as revenue this technology stock is expected to return a healthy profit

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in responding
to speak or write in reaction to a question or to another reaction when I asked him to sit down to dinner, he returned that he would come when he was good and ready

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in reverting
to go back to a previous and usually lower state or level vowed to do anything to keep the recovering alcoholic from returning to his dissolute ways

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of returning The returning season will see new faces, and the return of the couple’s mothers, Penny Baines and Sarah Wigley, plus Sophie’s sister Georgia Habboo, and Jamie’s best-friend, Oliver Proudlock. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026 Diemer and Jafargholi join recently announced cast members Justice Smith, Charlie Gillespie, Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees and Priyanka as well as returning stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams. — Selome Hailu, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026 For a player like Wright, returning not only means payment but also another season of play and development of skills. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2026 The passengers included 35 Syracuse University students returning home from a semester abroad. — CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Among those aboard were 35 Syracuse University students returning home from a semester abroad. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 However, the discovery demonstrates the river’s increasing ability to support new and returning native species. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Smith and his teammate, Sayin, are the top two returning vote-getters. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before returning the verdict. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for returning
  1. restoring
  2. yielding
  3. responding
  4. reverting
  5. paying
  6. replying
  7. giving
  8. answering
Verb
  • Conservation efforts have included replacing cattle with free-ranging bison, restoring Rio Grande cutthroat trout habitat, and using prescribed fire and forest management to improve ecosystem health.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities described the destruction as catastrophic, and both Kansas and local officials issued emergency declarations as residents began a recovery expected to extend well beyond restoring electricity.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of restoring
Verb
  • Fewer exits mean fewer new leveraged buyouts for business development companies (BDCs) and direct lenders to underwrite, pushing them to hold onto aging, lower-yielding paper for longer.
    — Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • There were only 4 1⁄8 inches of differences (deductions) from one antler to the other, yielding the net score of 216 5⁄8.
    — Richard P. Smith, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of yielding
Verb
  • Venture capital is responding by investing heavily in hospitality technology, particularly property management systems, which attracted over $1 billion.
    — Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Zelensky said a care home for elderly citizens and people living with disabilities was among the dozens of building damaged in the latest attack, and that more than 300 emergency services personnel were responding at the scene.
    — Svitlana Vlasova, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of responding
Verb
  • Stock Chart IconStock chart icon Marathon Petroleum, YTD Cyclical (or mean reverting) businesses look cheapest at the top as P/Es fall on record earnings.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The company’s chief software officer Wassym Bensaid said the halo wheels move driver functionality forward, rather than reverting back to buttons.
    — Greg Migliore, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of reverting
Verb
  • That income limit is a cliff — earning a dollar over the limit generally means paying the full, unsubsidized premium.
    — Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Elsewhere in New York, Harry Styles was also among the musicians paying tribute to Parton on Wednesday.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of paying
Verb
  • Draft the note, confirm the plan, and pause before replying if emotions rise.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Its spacious 46mm OLED screen makes checking class reminders, replying to messages, and viewing turn-by-turn directions effortless without taking your phone out.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of replying
Verb
  • YouTube‘s Pedro Pina has doubled down on the case against giving prominence to British broadcasters on digital services.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Autonomous trucking provider Gatik raised $200 million in a Series D funding round, giving the company fresh capital to scale its driverless fleet and expand its middle-mile network as demand for autonomous freight gains momentum.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of giving
Verb
  • This includes interpreting standing rules and precedents, advising on the wording of motions, helping formulate statements, and answering parliamentary inquiries or points of order.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Imagine answering the call of nature in a dark, stinking chamber alongside dozens of strangers, all while making pleasant conversation.
    — Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of answering

Browse Nearby Words

returned
returning
returns
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Cite this Entry

“Returning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/returning. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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