reverse
Translation
to reverse, to go backwards, to overturn
Examples
He had to reverse the car out of the garage.
He had to reverse the car out of the garage.
The court reversed its previous decision.
The court reversed its previous decision.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) to change the direction, order, or effect of (sth.) to its opposite You can reverse the image on the screen.
(no object) to move backward The truck reversed slowly.
Similar Words
Synonyms: invert, undo, cancel; Antonyms: advance, proceed
Etymology
From Latin 're-' (back) + 'vertere' (to turn). It literally means 'to turn back'.
Memory Tips
Think of a car's 'reverse' gear, which makes it go backward. This applies to actions and decisions too.