Reprisal Meaning
/ɹɪˈpɹaɪzəl/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn act of retaliation.
nounSomething taken from an enemy in retaliation.
Sentence Examples
General Jackson vowed a reprisal for the death of his men.
You have a right to speak up about mistreatment without fear of reprisal.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The army carried out a harsh ____ against the enemy base in response to the surprise attack.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The attack was carried out in ____ for the bombing that had killed several civilians the previous week.
Word Origin & History
From Anglo-Norman reprisaille (French représaille), from Old Italian ripresaglia (Italian rappresaglia), from ripreso, past participle of riprendere (“to take back”), from Latin reprendere, earlier reprehendere (see reprehend).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"debatable ground, on which incursions and reprisals continued to take place"
— 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter I, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The army carried out a harsh ____ against the enemy base in response to the surprise attack.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The attack was carried out in ____ for the bombing that had killed several civilians the previous week.