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RETURNING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Tending to be turned back
Synonyms:
returning; reversive
Classified under:
Similar:
backward (directed or facing toward the back or rear)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Tending to return to an earlier state
Synonyms:
returning; reverting
Classified under:
Similar:
regressive (opposing progress; returning to a former less advanced state)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb return
Context examples:
How often I stopped with the intention of returning, and yet every time my pride conquered my fear, and sent me on again until my object should be attained.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I was persuaded that I had an apprehension of his returning from Lowestoft by sea, and being lost.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
He is well, and will be returning in about a week.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
“Thank you!” said Holmes, folding up the paper and returning it to our visitor.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
My kind friends will not hear of my returning till I am better.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
"Yes, he has been like a son to us, and we are very fond of him," replied Mrs. March, returning the look with a keen one.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
We were returning from the Watt Street Mission about a quarter to nine o’clock.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I brought the paper back with me, and thought of destroying it, since I could see no way of returning it without confessing my guilt to my husband.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Whereupon the cub covered its fangs, and sank down submissively, while the hand, returning, rubbed behind his ears, and up and down his back.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
You will likely go short distances, most likely for pleasure, perhaps returning to a spot that you used to visit years ago and now would like to experience again.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
