Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Return \Re*turn"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Returned}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Returning}.] [OE. returnen, retournen, F. retourner;
   pref. re- re- + tourner to turn. See {Turn}.]
   1. To turn back; to go or come again to the same place or
      condition. ``Return to your father's house.'' --Chaucer.

            On their embattled ranks the waves return. --Milton.

            If they returned out of bondage, it must be into a
            state of freedom.                     --Locke.

            Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
                                                  --Gen. iii.
                                                  19.

   2. To come back, or begin again, after an interval, regular
      or irregular; to appear again.

            With the year Seasons return; but not me returns Day
            or the sweet approach of even or morn. --Milton.

   3. To speak in answer; to reply; to respond.

            He said, and thus the queen of heaven returned.
                                                  --Pope.

   4. To revert; to pass back into possession.

            And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the
            kingdom return to the house of David. --1Kings xii.
                                                  26.

   5. To go back in thought, narration, or argument. ``But to
      return to my story.'' --Fielding.

Return \Re*turn"\, v. t.
   1. To bring, carry, send, or turn, back; as, to return a
      borrowed book, or a hired horse.

            Both fled attonce, ne ever back returned eye.
                                                  --Spenser.

   2. To repay; as, to return borrowed money.

   3. To give in requital or recompense; to requite.

            The Lord shall return thy wickedness upon thine own
            head.                                 --1 Kings ii.
                                                  44.

   4. To give back in reply; as, to return an answer; to return
      thanks.

   5. To retort; to throw back; as, to return the lie.

            If you are a malicious reader, you return upon me,
            that I affect to be thought more impartial than I
            am.                                   --Dryden.

   6. To report, or bring back and make known.

            And all the people answered together, . . . and
            Moses returned the words of the people unto the
            Lord.                                 --Ex. xix. 8.

   7. To render, as an account, usually an official account, to
      a superior; to report officially by a list or statement;
      as, to return a list of stores, of killed or wounded; to
      return the result of an election.

   8. Hence, to elect according to the official report of the
      election officers. [Eng.]

   9. To bring or send back to a tribunal, or to an office, with
      a certificate of what has been done; as, to return a writ.

   10. To convey into official custody, or to a general
       depository.

             Instead of a ship, he should levy money, and return
             the same to the treasurer for his majesty's use.
                                                  --Clarendon.

   11. (Tennis) To bat (the ball) back over the net.

   12. (Card Playing) To lead in response to the lead of one's
       partner; as, to return a trump; to return a diamond for a
       club.

   {To return a lead} (Card Playing), to lead the same suit led
      by one's partner.

   Syn: To restore; requite; repay; recompense; render; remit;
        report.

Return \Re*turn"\, n.
   1. The act of returning (intransitive), or coming back to the
      same place or condition; as, the return of one long
      absent; the return of health; the return of the seasons,
      or of an anniversary.

            At the return of the year the king of Syria will
            come up against thee.                 --1 Kings xx.
                                                  22.

            His personal return was most required and necessary.
                                                  --Shak.

   2. The act of returning (transitive), or sending back to the
      same place or condition; restitution; repayment; requital;
      retribution; as, the return of anything borrowed, as a
      book or money; a good return in tennis.

            You made my liberty your late request: Is no return
            due from a grateful breast?           --Dryden.

   3. That which is returned. Specifically:
      (a) A payment; a remittance; a requital.

                I do expect return Of thrice three times the
                value of this bond.               --Shak.
      (b) An answer; as, a return to one's question.
      (c) An account, or formal report, of an action performed,
          of a duty discharged, of facts or statistics, and the
          like; as, election returns; a return of the amount of
          goods produced or sold; especially, in the plural, a
          set of tabulated statistics prepared for general
          information.
      (d) The profit on, or advantage received from, labor, or
          an investment, undertaking, adventure, etc.

                The fruit from many days of recreation is very
                little; but from these few hours we spend in
                prayer, the return is great.      --Jer. Taylor.

   4. (Arch.) The continuation in a different direction, most
      often at a right angle, of a building, face of a building,
      or any member, as a molding or mold; -- applied to the
      shorter in contradistinction to the longer; thus, a facade
      of sixty feet east and west has a return of twenty feet
      north and south.

   5. (Law)
      (a) The rendering back or delivery of writ, precept, or
          execution, to the proper officer or court.
      (b) The certificate of an officer stating what he has done
          in execution of a writ, precept, etc., indorsed on the
          document.
      (c) The sending back of a commission with the certificate
          of the commissioners.
      (d) A day in bank. See {Return day}, below. --Blackstone.

   6. (Mil. & Naval) An official account, report, or statement,
      rendered to the commander or other superior officer; as,
      the return of men fit for duty; the return of the number
      of the sick; the return of provisions, etc.

   7. pl. (Fort. & Mining) The turnings and windings of a trench
      or mine.

   {Return ball}, a ball held by an elastic string so that it
      returns to the hand from which it is thrown, -- used as a
      plaything.

   {Return bend}, a pipe fitting for connecting the contiguous
      ends of two nearly parallel pipes lying alongside or one
      above another.

   {Return day} (Law), the day when the defendant is to appear
      in court, and the sheriff is to return the writ and his
      proceedings.

   {Return flue}, in a steam boiler, a flue which conducts flame
      or gases of combustion in a direction contrary to their
      previous movement in another flue.

   {Return pipe} (Steam Heating), a pipe by which water of
      condensation from a heater or radiator is conveyed back
      toward the boiler.

Source : WordNet®

return
     n 1: document giving the tax collector information about the
          taxpayer's tax liability; "his gross income was enough
          that he had to file a tax return" [syn: {tax return}, {income
          tax return}]
     2: a coming to or returning home; "on his return from Australia
        we gave him a welcoming party" [syn: {homecoming}]
     3: the occurrence of a change in direction back in the opposite
        direction [syn: {coming back}]
     4: getting something back again; "upon the restitution of the
        book to its rightful owner the child was given a tongue
        lashing" [syn: {restitution}, {restoration}, {regaining}]
     5: the act of returning to a prior location; "they set out on
        their return to the base camp"
     6: the income arising from land or other property; "the average
        return was about 5%" [syn: {issue}, {proceeds}, {take}, {takings},
         {yield}, {payoff}]
     7: happening again (especially at regular intervals); "the
        return of spring" [syn: {recurrence}]
     8: a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or
        critical one); "it brought a sharp rejoinder from the
        teacher" [syn: {rejoinder}, {retort}, {riposte}, {replication},
         {comeback}, {counter}]
     9: the key on electric typewriters or computer keyboards that
        causes a carriage return and a line feed [syn: {return key}]
     10: a reciprocal group action; "in return we gave them as good
         as we got" [syn: {paying back}, {getting even}]
     11: a tennis stroke that returns the ball to the other player;
         "he won the point on a cross-court return"
     12: (American football) the act of running back the ball after a
         kickoff or punt or interception or fumble
     13: the act of someone appearing again; "his reappearance as
         Hamlet has been long awaited" [syn: {reappearance}]

return
     v 1: come back to place where one has been before, or return to a
          previous activity [syn: {go back}, {get back}, {come
          back}]
     2: give back; "render money" [syn: {render}]
     3: go back to a previous state; "We reverted to the old rules"
        [syn: {revert}, {retrovert}, {regress}, {turn back}]
     4: go back to something earlier; "This harks back to a previous
        remark of his" [syn: {hark back}, {come back}, {recall}]
     5: bring back to the point of departure [syn: {take back}, {bring
        back}]
     6: return in kind; "return a compliment"; "return her love"
     7: make a return; "return a kickback"
     8: answer back [syn: {retort}, {come back}, {repay}, {riposte},
         {rejoin}]
     9: be restored; "Her old vigor returned" [syn: {come back}]
     10: pay back; "Please refund me my money" [syn: {refund}, {repay},
          {give back}]
     11: pass down; "render a verdict"; "deliver a judgment" [syn: {render},
          {deliver}]
     12: elect again [syn: {reelect}]
     13: be inherited by; "The estate fell to my sister"; "The land
         returned to the family"; "The estate devolved to an heir
         that everybody had assumed to be dead" [syn: {fall}, {pass},
          {devolve}]
     14: return to a previous position; in mathematics; "The point
         returned to the interior of the figure"
     15: give or supply; "The cow brings in 5 liters of milk"; "This
         year's crop yielded 1,000 bushels of corn"; "The estate
         renders some revenue for the family" [syn: {render}, {yield},
          {give}, {generate}]
     16: submit (a report, etc.) to someone in authority; "submit a
         bill to a legislative body"