returns

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈtɜːnz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈtɝnz/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)nz
• Hyphenation: re‧turns

Noun

returns

1. plural of return

Noun

returns

1. (plural only) Merchandise returned to the retailer, wholesaler or supplier.
   • 2002, Irina Dunn, The writer's guide‎, page 129:

     The number of unsold books that booksellers return to publishers (called the rate of returns) has been averaging between 25 per cent and 35 per cent.

2. A mild, light-coloured kind of tobacco.
3. (law) The rendering back of a writ to the proper officer.
4. (military) The return of the soldiers fit for duty.

Derived terms

• diminishing returns
• law of diminishing returns
• no returns
• returns to scale

Translations

unsold merchandise returned to the supplier

Czech: remitenda (cs) f German: Retouren (de) f pl

Verb

returns

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of return

See also

• many happy returns

Anagrams

• Turners, turners