Logo
Search icon

reverse

/ɹɪˈvɜːs/

noun

Meaning

  • The opposite of something.

    "We believed the Chinese weren't ready for us. In fact, the reverse was true."

  • The act of going backwards; a reversal.

  • A piece of misfortune; a setback.

  • The tails side of a coin, or the side of a medal or badge that is opposite the obverse.

  • The side of something facing away from a viewer, or from what is considered the front; the other side.

  • The gear setting of an automobile that makes it travel backwards.

  • A thrust in fencing made with a backward turn of the hand; a backhanded stroke.

  • A turn or fold made in bandaging, by which the direction of the bandage is changed.

verb

Meaning

  • To turn something around so that it faces the opposite direction or runs in the opposite sequence.

    "to reverse a portion of video footage"

  • To turn something inside out or upside down.

  • To transpose the positions of two things.

  • To change totally; to alter to the opposite.

  • To return, come back.

  • To turn away; to cause to depart.

  • To cause to return; to recall.

  • To revoke a law, or to change a decision into its opposite.

    "to reverse a judgment, sentence, or decree"

  • To cause a mechanism or a vehicle to operate or move in the opposite direction to normal.

  • To change the direction of a reaction such that the products become the reactants and vice-versa.

  • To place a set of points in the reverse position

  • (of points) to move from the normal position to the reverse position

  • To overthrow; to subvert.

adjective

Meaning

  • Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction.

    "The mirror showed us a reverse view of the scene."

  • Pertaining to engines, vehicle movement etc. moving in a direction opposite to the usual direction.

    "He selected reverse gear."

  • (of points) To be in the non-default position; to be set for the lesser-used route.

  • Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.

  • Reversed.

    "a reverse shell"

  • In which cDNA synthetization is obtained from an RNA template.

adverb

Meaning

  • In a reverse way or direction; in reverse; upside-down.