return the favor
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.48 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "I did some snow shoveling for him when he was ill, and he was kind enough to return the favor this year. [positive valence]"
- "They ignored my request, so I was happy to return the favor when I got the chance. [negative valence produced by sarcasm]"
- "Having received an unearned windfall, we are in debt. The moral scales are out of balance. The canonical way to restore a measure of balance is to return the favor to our benefactor, as per symmetrical reciprocity. However, the canonical way is not the only way. Another way is to pass the favor on, as per transitive reciprocity."
- "Let's say Gertrude shared some of her food with you. This recognition in turn triggers a judgment that you ought to return the favor – that is, you ought to share some of your food with Gertrude when the opportunity arises."