reverse

The word “reverse” means opposite in position, direction, or order. In plain terms, going or facing the opposite way — as a direction, a gear, a side of something, or an action that undoes a decision.

“Reverse” is pronounced rih-VURS (/ɹɪˈvɝs/ in IPA).

Here is “reverse” used in a sentence: “Read the list in reverse order, starting from the last item.”

The opposite of “reverse” — its antonyms — are normal and obverse.

Depending on how it is used, “reverse” can be an adjective, a noun and a verb.

The word “reverse” comes from Latin. From Anglo-Norman/Old French revers, from Latin reversus, the past participle of reverto, "to turn back".

“Reverse” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Reverse” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: opposite in position, direction, or order.

"Reverse" means opposite in position, direction, or order, and is the everyday word: reverse gear, reverse order. "Inverse" is more technical, describing things related as opposites in mathematics or logic, such as an inverse relationship in which one value rises as the other falls.

"Opposite" is the general word for something completely different in nature, direction, or position. "Reverse" specifically suggests the same thing turned the other way around — the reverse order is the same list backwards, and the reverse of a decision undoes it.

The reverse is the back of a coin — informally, the "tails" side — as opposed to the obverse, the front or "heads" side. This use reflects the noun sense of reverse as the other side of something.