Word.ws English Dictionary

returns the favor

returns the favor is the third-person singular simple present indicative of return the favor.

Meaning of return the favor

Verb

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

  1. (idiomatic) To do something for someone, or to someone, similar to what they did for you or to you (whether good or bad).
    • I did some snow shoveling for him when he was ill, and he was kind enough to return the favor this year. [positive valence]

Questions about returns the favor

What is returns the favor the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Returns the favor is the third-person singular simple present indicative of return the favor.

Words near returns the favor in the dictionary

  1. returnlessly
  2. returnment
  3. returns
  4. returns fire
  5. returns on investment
  6. returns the favor
  7. returns the favour
  8. returns to dust
  9. returns to form
  10. returns to one's muttons
  11. returns to scale

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: returns the favor (page history and authors); return the favor (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:

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