tit for tatnoun [ U ]
uk/ˌtɪt fə ˈtæt/us/ˌtɪt fɚ ˈtæt/disapprovingactions done intentionally to punish other people because they have done something unpleasant to you:
I noticed she didn't send me a card - I think it was tit for tat because I forgot her birthday last year.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Revenge and vengefulness
- an eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth) idiom
- avenge
- bite
- bite back (at sb/sth)
- don't get mad, get even idiom
- even
- hit
- mind
- own
- pay
- pay sb back
- payback
- reprisal
- retaliate
- retaliatory
- revenge
- two can play at that game idiom
- vengeance
- vengeful
- vindictive
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tit-for-tat
adjective [ before noun ] usuk/tɪt.fərˈtæt/
Recent months have seen a pattern of tit-for-tat killings between the two sides.