Translate reverse | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of reverse
verb
[no object] move backward:the truck reversed into the back of a bus [with object] cause (a vehicle) to move backward:I got in the car, reversed it and drove it up the driveway [with object] turn (something) the other way around or up or inside out: (as adjective reversed)a reversed S-shape [with object] make (something) the opposite of what it was:the damage done to the ozone layer may be reversed [with object] exchange (the position or function) of two people or things:the experimenter and the subject reversed roles and the experiment was repeated [with object] Law revoke or annul (a judgment, sentence, or decree made by a lower court or authority):the court reversed his conviction (of an engine) work in a contrary direction:the ship’s engines reversed and cut out altogether [with object] Printing make (type or a design) print as white in a block of solid color or a halftone:their press ads had a headline reversed out of the illustration
adjective
[attributive] going in or turned toward the direction opposite to that previously stated:the trend appears to be going in the reverse direction operating, behaving, or ordered in a way contrary or opposite to that which is usual or expected:here are the results in reverse order Electronics (of a voltage applied to a semiconductor junction) in the direction that does not allow significant current to flow. Geology denoting a fault or faulting in which a relative downward movement occurred in the strata situated on the underside of the fault plane.
noun
1a complete change of direction or action:the growth actuates a reverse of photosynthesis reverse gear on a motor vehicle; the position of a gear lever or selector corresponding to this. See also in reverse below. (
the reverse)
the opposite or contrary to that previously stated:he didn’t feel homesick—quite the reverse an adverse change of fortune; a setback or defeat:the team suffered its heaviest reverse of the season Football a play in which the ballcarrier reverses the direction of attack by lateraling or handling the ball to a teammate moving in the opposite direction.
2the opposite side or face to the observer:the address is given on the reverse of this leaflet a left-hand page of an open book, or the back of a loose document. the side of a coin or medal bearing the value or secondary design.
