noun
reprisal
rih-PREYE-zuhl
noun
1
An act of retaliation, especially in response to an attack or injury.
"The village feared reprisals after reporting the soldiers' crimes."
How to Use Reprisal
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishGetting back at someone, usually through force, for something they did.
Easily confused with
reprise
Common pairings
fear of reprisal
in reprisal for
reprisal attacks
Word Forms
reprisals plural
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The village feared _____ after reporting the soldiers' crimes.
Etymology
From Old Italian ripresaglia via Anglo-Norman reprisaille, ultimately from Latin reprehendere ("to seize back").