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reverse

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reverse¹

  • /ɹɪˈvɜːs/ UK
  • /ɹɪˈvɝs/ US

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)s

Where it comes from

From Middle English revers, from Anglo-Norman revers, Middle French revers, and their source, Latin reversus, perfect passive participle of reversō, from re- + versō. Doublet of revers.

adjective

  1. not comparable Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction. We ate the meal in reverse order, starting with dessert and ending with the starter.
  2. not comparable Pertaining to engines, vehicle movement etc. moving in a direction opposite to the usual direction. He selected reverse gear.
  3. not comparable To be in the non-default position; to be set for the lesser-used route.
  4. not comparable Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.
  5. not comparable Reversed. a reverse shell
  6. not comparable In which cDNA synthetization is obtained from an RNA template.

adverb

  1. archaic, not comparable In a reverse way or direction; in reverse; upside-down. The man was killed to feed his image fat / Within this pictured world that ran reverse, / Where miracles alone were ever plain.

noun reverses

  1. The opposite of something. Division is the reverse of multiplication.
  2. The act of going backwards; a reversal. By a reverse of fortune, Stephen becomes rich.
  3. A piece of misfortune; a setback. And the cold truth such sad reverse did seem As to awake in grief from some delightful dream.
  4. The tails side of a coin, or the side of a medal or badge that is opposite the obverse.
  5. The side of something facing away from a viewer, or from what is considered the front; the other side.
  6. The gear setting of an automobile that makes it travel backwards. (Denoted with symbol R on a shifter's labeling.) I shifted into reverse and was just about to back up when our silly cat walked behind the car! Honk honk, kitty! Get out of there!
  7. A thrust in fencing made with a backward turn of the hand; a backhanded stroke. but first , master see thee pass thy punto , thy stock , thy reverse , thy guest
  8. A turn or fold made in bandaging, by which the direction of the bandage is changed.
  9. Synonym of transpose.

reverse²

  • /ɹɪˈvɜːs/ UK
  • /ɹɪˈvɝs/ US

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)s

Where it comes from

From Middle English reversen, from Anglo-Norman reverser, Middle French reverser, and their source, Latin reversō, from re- + versō.

verb reverses · reversing · reversed

  1. transitive To turn something around so that it faces the opposite direction or runs in the opposite sequence. to reverse the order of books on a shelf
  2. transitive To turn something inside out or upside down. A pyramid reversed may stand upon his point if balanced by admirable skill.
  3. transitive To transpose the positions of two things.
  4. transitive To change totally; to alter to the opposite. All trends reverse eventually.
  5. intransitive, obsolete To return, come back. Bene they all dead, and laide in dolefull herse? / Or doen they onely sleepe, and shall againe reuerse?
  6. obsolete, transitive To turn away; to cause to depart. And that old dame said many an idle verse, / Out of her daughter's heart fond fancies to reverse.
  7. obsolete, transitive To cause to return; to recall. And to his fresh remembrance did reverse / The ugly view of his deformd crimes.
  8. To revoke a law, or to change a decision into its opposite. to reverse a judgment, sentence, or decree
  9. ergative To cause a mechanism to operate or move in the opposite direction to normal; to drive a vehicle in the direction the driver has the back. Richardson dropped into the six-foot between the two engines, ran for a few yards, grabbed Mitchell's engine, and swung himself up. Mitchell had got to his feet by this time, but he made no move. Richardson shut off steam, reversed her, and brought her to a stand.
  10. To change the direction of a reaction such that the products become the reactants and vice-versa.
  11. transitive To place (a set of points) in the reverse position.
  12. intransitive To move from the normal position to the reverse position.
  13. transitive To engage reverse thrust on (an engine).
  14. To overthrow; to subvert. These can divide, and these reverse, the state.
  15. abbreviation, ellipsis Ellipsis of reverse-engineer.reverse-engineer Reversing is also heavily used in connection with malicious software, on both ends of the fence: […]

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