reprisal
Other forms: reprisals
A reprisal is an act of retaliation, especially one committed by one country against another. If you attack your enemy's village and cause lots of damage, expect a reprisal.
Reprisal comes from the French for taking back, and used to mean the seizure of property as a compensation for some earlier loss. Now we use it more in the sense of a retaliatory attack. When Germany bombed London during World War II, the British reprisals included the bombing of Berlin. Reprisal doesn't always have to be about war; you can use it for any act of retaliation.
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Vocabulary lists containing reprisal
The Constitution is, quite simply, the basis of American democracy. The document details what the branches of government must do, what they are entitled to do, and what they cannot do. Read the full text here.
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