revert
part of speech
verb (revert, reverts, reverted, reverting); noun (a revert — rare)
meaning for a pupil
1) To go back to an earlier state, habit or way of doing things. tree →
2) (computing) To undo changes and go back to an earlier version of a file or page. tree →
3) (law) For property to go back to its first owner. tree →
4) (business English) "Revert to you" is sometimes used to mean "reply to you" — this is common in India, but many speakers think it is wrong. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life, people revert to old habits. In computing and online, editors revert changes to a Wikipedia page or a document. In science, something may revert to its natural state, like a garden reverting to wild. Phrases: revert to, revert back (common but repeats itself), revert changes.
examples
- After the holiday, I reverted to going to bed late. tree →
- The field reverted to wild meadow. tree →
- The teacher reverted the document to yesterday's version. tree →
- Wikipedia editors reverted the silly changes. tree →
- When he is nervous, he reverts to biting his nails. tree →
- The land reverted to the original owner. tree →
note
"Revert to" is the pattern. "Revert back" says "back" twice, so careful writers avoid it. Past form: reverted. Noun: reversion. In much English, "revert" does not mean "reply".
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «revert» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.