Word.ws English Dictionary

returne

returne is the obsolete spelling of return.

Meaning of return

Verb

return (third-person singular simple present returns, present participle returning, simple past and past participle returned)

  1. (intransitive) To come or go back (to a place or person).
    • Although the birds fly north for the summer, they return here in winter.
  2. (intransitive) To go back in thought, narration, or argument.
    • To return to my story[…]
  3. (intransitive) To recur; to come again.
    • Winter returns every year.
  4. (intransitive, obsolete) To turn back, retreat.
    • ‘I suppose here is none woll be glad to returne – and as for me,’ seyde Sir Cador, ‘I had lever dye this day that onys to turne my bak.’1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book V, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich]...
  5. (obsolete, transitive) To turn (something) round.
    • Whan Kyng Marke harde hym sey that worde, he returned his horse and abode by hym.1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum xiij”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book X, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer...
  6. (transitive) To place or put back something where it had been.
    • Please return your hands to your lap.

See all 36 meanings of return

Forms of returne

third-person singular presentreturnes
present participlereturning
past participlereturned
pastreturned

Questions about returne

What is returne the obsolete spelling of?
Returne is the obsolete spelling of return.

Words near returne in the dictionary

  1. return-oriented programming
  2. returnability
  3. returnable
  4. returnables
  5. returnal
  6. returne
  7. returned
  8. returned fire
  9. returned the favor
  10. returned the favour
  11. returned to dust

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: returne (page history and authors); return (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “returne.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/returne. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.