reverse

The opposite of something.

Adjective

  1. Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction.
    • We ate the meal in reverse order, starting with dessert and ending with the starter.
    • The mirror showed us a reverse view of the scene.
  2. Pertaining to engines, vehicle movement etc. moving in a direction opposite to the usual direction.
    • He selected reverse gear.
  3. To be in the non-default position; to be set for the lesser-used route.
  4. Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.
  5. Reversed.
    • a reverse shell
  6. In which cDNA synthetization is obtained from an RNA template.

Origin

From Middle English revers, from Anglo-Norman revers, Middle French revers, and their source, Latin reversus, perfect passive participle of reversō, from re- + versō. Doublet of revers.

Antonyms

normal

Derived

nonreverse reverse 911 call reverse Advent calendar reverse anorexia nervosa reverse arms reverse bigotry reverse boustrophedon reverse brain drain reverse bunny suit reverse cascade reverse causation reverse-charge reverse charge reverse chops reverse cleavage reverse-commute reverse commute reverse commuter reverse confusion reverse contrast reverse course reverse cowgirl reverse cowgirl position reverse culture shock

Adverb

  1. In a reverse way or direction; in reverse; upside-down.
    • The man was killed to feed his image fat / Within this pictured world that ran reverse, / Where miracles alone were ever plain. - 1963, Donal Serrell Thomas, Points of Contact:

Synonyms

upside down

Noun

  1. The opposite of something.
    • Division is the reverse of multiplication.
    • The Sun doesn't orbit the Earth—quite the reverse, in fact.
  2. The act of going backwards; a reversal.
    • By a reverse of fortune, Stephen becomes rich. - 1808, Charles Lamb, Specimens of the English Dramatic Poets Who Lived About the Time of Shakespeare:
  3. A piece of misfortune; a setback.
    • And the cold truth such sad reverse did seem As to awake in grief from some delightful dream. - 1817 December, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Revolt of Islam. […]”, in [Mary] Shelley, editor, The Poetical Works of Percy...
    • Simon Forman was notorious in his day, and was a many of many reverses. - 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 156:
    • In fact, though the Russians did not yet know it, the British had met with a reverse. - 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 309:
  4. The tails side of a coin, or the side of a medal or badge that is opposite the obverse.
  5. The side of something facing away from a viewer, or from what is considered the front; the other side.
  6. The gear setting of an automobile that makes it travel backwards. (Denoted with symbol R on a shifter's labeling.)
    • I shifted into reverse and was just about to back up when our silly cat walked behind the car! Honk honk, kitty! Get out of there!

    Synonyms: reverse gear

    Hypernyms: gear

  7. A thrust in fencing made with a backward turn of the hand; a backhanded stroke.
    • but first , master see thee pass thy punto , thy stock , thy reverse , thy guest - c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies...
  8. A turn or fold made in bandaging, by which the direction of the bandage is changed.
  9. Synonym of transpose.

    Synonyms: transpose

Forms

reverses

Antonyms

obverse

Derived

autoreverse bootlegger reverse in reverse reverseful reverseless reverse of trade

Verb

  1. To turn something around so that it faces the opposite direction or runs in the opposite sequence.
    • to reverse the order of books on a shelf
    • to reverse a portion of video footage
  2. To turn something inside out or upside down.
    • A pyramid reversed may stand upon his point if balanced by admirable skill. - 1672, William Temple, Essay on the Original and Nature of Government:
  3. To transpose the positions of two things.
  4. To change totally; to alter to the opposite.
    • All trends reverse eventually.
    • Reverse the doom of death. - c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […]...
    • They reversed the conduct of the celebrated vicar of Bray. - 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co....
  5. To return, come back.
    • Bene they all dead, and laide in dolefull herse? / Or doen they onely sleepe, and shall againe reuerse? - 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William...
  6. To turn away; to cause to depart.
    • And that old dame said many an idle verse, / Out of her daughter's heart fond fancies to reverse. - 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie,...
  7. To cause to return; to recall.
    • And to his fresh remembrance did reverse / The ugly view of his deformd crimes. - 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 48:
  8. To revoke a law, or to change a decision into its opposite.
    • to reverse a judgment, sentence, or decree
    • From March 30, LNER was running around 40% of its trains and had suspended its Aberdeen, Inverness and Hull services, although it reversed the latter decision after Hull Trains suspended operations. - 2020 April 8,...
  9. To cause a mechanism to operate or move in the opposite direction to normal; to drive a vehicle in the direction the driver has the back.
    • Richardson dropped into the six-foot between the two engines, ran for a few yards, grabbed Mitchell's engine, and swung himself up. Mitchell had got to his feet by this time, but he made no move. Richardson shut off...
    • Passengers said the train had to reverse from Hsinshih (新市) in Tainan County to Liuchiao (六腳) in Chiayi County before moving forward again. - 2007 July 9, “Glitch with switch sends high speed rail back and forth”, in...
  10. To change the direction of a reaction such that the products become the reactants and vice-versa.
  11. To place (a set of points) in the reverse position.
  12. To move from the normal position to the reverse position.

Origin

From Middle English reversen, from Anglo-Norman reverser, Middle French reverser, and their source, Latin reversō, from re- + versō.

Forms

reverses reversing reversed

Antonyms

unreverse normalise normalize

Derived

bootlegger reverse reversable reversal reverse configure reverse course reverse-engineer reversement reverse out reverser reverse the charge reverse the charges reversible reversive time-reverse unreverse