returned
Syllables: re·turnedUK/ɹɪˈtəːnd//ɹɪˈtɝnd/
returned is the simple past and past participle of return.
Adjective
returned (comparative more returned, superlative most returned)
- Bent back; angled.
- That has come back.
- Yielded as a return on an investment etc.
- Back home having been discharged from military service.
- There are about thirty full-blooded returned men in this state whom I believe are not entitled to the old-age pension.1941, Pearl Gibbs, radio broadcast, in Heiss & Minter, Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature, Allen & Unwin 2008, p. 38
Meaning of return
Verb
return (third-person singular simple present returns, present participle returning, simple past and past participle returned)
- To come or go back (to a place or person).
- Although the birds fly north for the summer, they return here in winter.
- To go back in thought, narration, or argument.
- To return to my story[…]
- To recur; to come again.
- Winter returns every year.
- 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]...
- 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...
- To place or put back something where it had been.
- Please return your hands to your lap.
Forms of returned
| comparative | more returned |
|---|---|
| superlative | most returned |
Words formed from returned
Phrases with returned
Questions about returned
- What does returned mean?
- Returned means bent back; angled.
- What is returned the simple past and past participle of?
- Returned is the simple past and past participle of return.
- What part of speech is returned?
- Returned is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce returned?
- Returned is pronounced /ɹɪˈtəːnd/ (UK).
Words near returned in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: returned (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.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-returned.ogg.
Cite this entry: “returned.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/returned. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
