- to go back to a former practice, condition, belief, etc: she reverted to her old wicked ways
- to take up again or come back to a former topic
- (of individuals, organs, etc) to return to a more primitive, earlier, or simpler condition or type
- (of an estate or interest in land) to return to its former owner or his or her heirs when a grant, esp a grant for the lifetime of the grantee, comes to an end
- revert to type ⇒ to resume characteristics that were thought to have disappeared
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
re•vert /rɪˈvɜrt/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + to + object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to return to a former habit, practice, belief, etc.:He's reverted to smoking again.
- Lawto return to the former owner or that person's heirs:The property reverts to the former owners.
- to go back in thought or discussion:kept reverting to his childhood.
re•vert
(ri vûrt′),USA pronunciation v.i.
v.i.
n.
re•vert′i•ble, adj.
re•vert′i•bil′i•ty, n.
re•ver′tive, adj.
re•ver′tive•ly, adv.
v.i.
- to return to a former habit, practice, belief, condition, etc.:They reverted to the ways of their forefathers.
- Lawto go back to or return to the former owner or to his or her heirs.
- Biologyto return to an earlier or primitive type.
- to go back in thought or discussion:He constantly reverted to his childhood.
n.
- a person or thing that reverts.
- Lawa reversion.
- Latin revertere to turn back, equivalent. to re- re- + vertere to turn; see verse
- Old French revertir)
- Middle English reverten (1250–1300
re•vert′i•bil′i•ty, n.
re•ver′tive, adj.
re•ver′tive•ly, adv.
- 1. 3. retrogress.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
revert vb /rɪˈvɜːt/ (intransitive) followed by to:
Since back is part of the meaning of revert, one should not say that someone reverts back to a certain type of behaviour
'revert' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
elastane
- escheat
- regress
- return
- throwback
- cast
- degenerate
- enantiotropy
- hark
- nonrevertible
- re
- relapse
- retrogress
- reverse
- revertant
- reverter
- roost
- throw
- unreverted
- unrevertible
- unreverting