an injury done in return for injury. an act of retaliation retaliation in kind for injuries received a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime A retaliation for an injury. an act of retaliation. \\"three youths died in the reprisals which followed\\" synonyms: retaliation, counterattack, counterstroke, comeback; revenge, vengeance, retribution, requital, recrimination, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, tit for tat, getting even, redress, repayment, payback; lex talionis. The Old Testament doctrine of an eye for an eye is not the kind of retaliation practiced in war; rather, an arm, a leg, and both ears are the reprisal for the smallest scratch. Definition of Reprisal an act of retaliation Examples of Reprisal in a sentence Outraged at failing his French class, Matt keyed the teacher\\'s car in reprisal. Even in the most extreme circumstances, back and forth reprisal is generally not the best way to resolve conflict. With rumors of reprisal coming from all his most reliable sources, the king ordered that every entrance to the castle be barricaded. No one knows for certain, but it is widely believed that the drive-by shooting was in reprisal to some offense committed by a rival gang. He felt secure enough in his information that he announced his opinion on the matter without fear of reprisal. After taking such violent measures, the colonel began to regret his role in taking reprisal against the natives. When Jeanette\\'s parents were told about the bullying tactics she had used in reprisal for the gossip against her, she was grounded and had to miss the winter dance. Now that the drug cartels have toned down their acts of reprisal against each other, more people are traveling to Mexico for pleasure. Junior high school is a place where insecurity, peer pressure, hurt feelings, and acts of reprisal plague the lives of adolescents. The newspapers carried the story about the soldiers\\' reprisal against the enemies who had attacked a village of women and children.