Meaning of reverse In English

• 0 to change the direction, order, position, result, etc. of something to its opposite:

  • The new manager hoped to reverse the decline in the company's fortunes.

  • Now that you have a job and I don't, our situations are reversed.

  • The Court of Appeal reversed the earlier judgment.

• 1 to drive a vehicle backwards:

  • He reversed into a lamppost and damaged the back of the car.

  • She reversed the car into the parking space.

• 2 to make a phone call that is paid for by the person receiving it

• 3 the opposite of what has been suggested:

  • You might think that people who don't worry about their diet are fatter and more unhealthy; in fact, the reverse is true.

  • Whatever official news broadcasts claimed, he believed the reverse.

  • The coin has a royal coat of arms on the reverse.

  • To stop the engine, you repeat the same procedures, but in reverse (order).

  • To go backwards, you must put the car in/into reverse (gear).

  • They suffered a serious military/political reverse.

• 4 opposite to what has just happened, or to what is usual or expected:

  • Repeat the steps in reverse order to shut the system off.

  • The intervention was designed to help, but it had the reverse effect.

  • He delivered a perfect reverse pass to his teammate.

  • The diver then does three and a half reverse somersaults in the air before plunging head first into the water.

  • On the reverse side of the coin will be a portrait of the Queen.

  • Each entry must be clearly labelled with your name, address, and date of birth on the reverse side.

• 5 to cause something to go in the opposite direction, order, or position:

  • [ T ] The group is trying to reverse the trend toward developing the wetlands.

• 6 the opposite direction, order, or position:

  • [ U ] A car came down the street in reverse.

  • [ C ] He suffered a series of financial reverses in the 1980s.

• 7 to change a decision, plan, etc. so that it becomes the opposite of what it was before:

  • Management have reversed their decision on the matter.

• 8 to stop things happening, or to stop happening, in a particular way:

  • reverse a process/trend We have to do something to reverse the trend of people moving away to seek work.

  • The struggling retailer has slashed prices in an attempt to reverse the decline in sales.

  • The trend is expected to reverse next year.

• 9 to start to behave or to do things in a way that is the opposite of what happened before:

  • The upward trend in prices may soon reverse course.

  • Customer feedback forced them to reverse direction.

• 10 to change a legal decision in a court of law:

  • The court of appeal reversed the verdict in June.

• 11 to make a phone call that is paid for by the person who receives it:

  • Call me from the airport and reverse the charges.

• 12 a problem or failure that makes it more difficult for a person or organization to be successful:

  • The company suffered a reverse on the trading market.

• 13 the opposite of something:

  • The director assured us the company was doing well, but it turned out that the reverse was true.

  • the reverse of sth Her approach to marketing is the reverse of what we have done so far.

• 14 the other side of a piece of paper, etc.:

  • Write your account details on the reverse of the cheque.

• 15 if something relating to finance goes into reverse, it starts to lose value:

  • The shares were in reverse for a long time.

  • If we don't get any sales growth, profits will go into reverse.

• 16 the opposite of what has just been mentioned:

  • Although intended to reassure shareholders, this strategy clearly had the reverse effect.

• 17 going in the opposite direction from what usually happens or what has happened before :

  • We reviewed all the figures in reverse chronological order.

• 18 used to describe the other side of a piece of paper, etc.:

  • She made a note on the reverse side of the last page.