mindmap root((回报)) reciprocate implies a more or less equivalent exchange or a paying back of what one has received: ~ their hostility by inviting them for a visit. retaliate usually implies a paying back of injury in exact kind by way of vengeance: the enemy ~d by executing their prisoners. requite implies a paying back according to one's preference and often not equivalently: ~ed her love with cold indifference. return implies a paying back of something usually in kind but sometimes by way of contrast: ~ed their kindness with ingratitude.