retributions

noun

plural of retribution
as in retaliations
the act or an instance of responding to an injury with an injury the neighborhood is being torn apart by an endless cycle of gang violence and retribution

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of retributions What starts as a petty territorial conflict mutates into a spiralling cycle of retributions, escalating from passive-aggressive jabs to acts of destruction and ruin. — Udita Jhunjhunwala, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025 Surveys are important, too, so workers feel safe to speak up without any retributions. — Vicki Salemi, Boston Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retributions
  1. retaliations
  2. reprisals
Noun
  • The new president has vowed a crackdown, which Guzmán warns could lead to retaliations that target critical infrastructure.
    — Eugenia Perozo, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Over the past year, countries rushed to secure piecemeal deals; some allowed panic to overtake them; very few coordinated their actions or retaliations.
    — Mihir Sharma, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of retaliations
Noun
  • Muoi, who gave only one name for fear of reprisals by authorities, gave up fishing and now helps his wife in her shop.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Advertisement Those who refused the deal faced immediate reprisals.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of reprisals

Browse Nearby Words

retribution
retributions
retributive
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Cite this Entry

“Retributions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retributions. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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