Reverse vs. Revert — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 12, 2023
"Reverse" means to move or turn in the opposite direction, while "Revert" means to return to a previous state or condition. Both indicate a change, but they differ in direction and context.
Difference Between Reverse and Revert
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Key Differences
"Reverse" and "Revert" are terms that denote a change, but they have distinct implications. "Reverse" typically suggests an action of moving or turning something in the opposite direction, like reversing a car or a decision.
"Revert," on the other hand, implies returning to a former state or condition. This can be in reference to a previous version of a document, or a person going back to a previous behavior or mindset after a temporary change.
When considering these terms in the context of actions, "Reverse" usually connotes a more active process. For instance, to reverse a decision means to actively change it back. Conversely, "Revert" indicates a more passive return to an original state, often after a brief deviation.
In technological settings, "Reverse" might refer to reversing the order of something, like a list or sequence. Meanwhile, "Revert" could denote returning software to its prior version after an update.
In summary, while both "Reverse" and "Revert" suggest a change, they differ in the nature and direction of that change, with the former indicating opposite movement and the latter indicating a return to an original state.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Definition
To move or turn in the opposite direction
To return to a previous state or condition
Context of Change
Active alteration
Passive return
Usage in Technology
Changing the order or direction
Going back to a prior version
Temporal Implication
Can be momentary or permanent
Often implies a return after a temporary change
Example of Physical Action
Reversing a vehicle
Reverting to old habits after trying something new
Compare with Definitions
Reverse
To move backward.
He had to reverse the car to exit the driveway.
Revert
To return to a former state or condition.
After the trial, she reverted to her old habits.
Reverse
To turn inside out or upside down.
Reverse the shirt to see the label.
Revert
To undergo reversion (in genetics, return to a previous ancestral genetic type).
The gene can revert to its original form.
Reverse
The opposite side or direction.
The reverse side of the coin has an eagle.
Revert
To go back to a former condition, practice, subject, or belief
A meadow reverting to forest.
A reformed shoplifter reverting to old habits.
A speaker reverting to her opening remarks.
Reverse
A change to an opposite direction, position, or course of action.
There was a sudden reverse in market trends.
Revert
To resume using something that has been disused
Had to revert to the typewriter when the computer failed.
Reverse
Turned backward in position, direction, or order
The reverse side of the poster.
Revert
(Law) To be returned to the former owner or to the former owner's heirs. Used of money or property.
Reverse
Moving, acting, or organized in a manner contrary to the usual
In reverse order.
Revert
(Genetics) To undergo reversion.
Reverse
Causing backward movement
A reverse gear.
Revert
Chiefly South Asian To reply.
Reverse
(Printing) Printed in such a way that the normally colored part appears white against a colored or black background.
Revert
To cause to go back to a former condition, practice, subject, or belief
"The doctor was reverted to the rank of Assistant Surgeon" (George Orwell).
Reverse
The opposite or contrary
All along we thought Sue was older than Bill, but just the reverse was true.
Revert
(Law) To return (an estate, for example) to the grantor or the grantor's heirs or successor.
Reverse
The back or rear part
The reverse of the flyer.
Revert
One who, or that which, reverts.
Reverse
The side of a coin or medal that does not carry the principal design; the verso.
Revert
(religion) One who reverts to that religion which he had adhered to before having converted to another
Reverse
A change to an opposite position, condition, or direction.
Revert
A convert to Islam.
Reverse
A change in fortune from better to worse; a setback
Suffered financial reverses.
Revert
(computing) The act of reversion (of e.g. a database transaction or source control repository) to an earlier state.
We've found that git reverts are at least an order of magnitude faster than SVN reverse merges.
Reverse
A mechanism, such as a gear in a motor vehicle, that is used to reverse movement.
Revert
The skateboard maneuver of rotating the board 180 degrees or more while the wheels remain on the ground.
Reverse
The position or operating condition of such a mechanism.
Revert
To turn back, or turn to the contrary; to reverse.
Reverse
Movement in an opposite direction.
Revert
To throw back; to reflect; to reverberate.
Reverse
(Football) An offensive play in which a ball carrier running in one direction executes a handoff to a player running in the opposite direction.
Revert
(transitive) To cause to return to a former condition.
Reverse
To turn around to the opposite direction
The wind reversed the weather vane.
Revert
To return; to come back.
If they attack, we will revert to the bunker.
Reverse
To turn inside out or upside down
Reverse a jacket.
Revert
(intransitive) To return to the possession of.
When a book goes out of print, rights revert from the publisher to the author.
Reverse
To exchange the positions of; transpose
Reversed the people on stage.
Revert
Of an estate: To return to its former owner, or to his or her heirs, when a grant comes to an end.
Reverse
(Law) To change or set aside (a lower court's decision).
Revert
(transitive) To cause (a property or rights) to return to the previous owner.
Sometimes a publisher will automatically revert rights back to an author once a book has gone out of print.
Reverse
To cause to adopt a contrary viewpoint
Reversed himself during the campaign.
Revert
(intransitive) To return to a former practice, condition, belief, etc.
Reverse
To change to the opposite
Reversed their planned course of action.
Revert
To return to an earlier or primitive type or state; to take on the traits or characters of an ancestral type.
Reverse
To cause (an engine or mechanism) to function in reverse.
Revert
(intransitive) To change back, as from a soluble to an insoluble state or the reverse.
Phosphoric acid in certain fertilizers reverts.
Reverse
To direct that (a charge) apply to the person receiving instead of making a telephone call.
Revert
(intransitive) To take up again or return to a previous topic.
Reverse
To turn or move in the opposite direction.
Revert
To convert to Islam.
Reverse
To reverse the action of an engine.
Revert
To reply (to correspondence, for example).
Please revert before Monday.
Reverse
Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction.
We ate the meal in reverse order, starting with dessert and ending with the starter.
The mirror showed us a reverse view of the scene.
Revert
To treat (a series, such as y = a + bx + cx2 + ..., where one variable y is expressed in powers of a second variable x), so as to find the second variable x expressed in a series arranged in powers of y.
Reverse
Pertaining to engines, vehicle movement etc. moving in a direction opposite to the usual direction.
He selected reverse gear.
Revert
To turn back, or to the contrary; to reverse.
Till happy chance revert the cruel scence.
The tumbling stream . . . Reverted, plays in undulating flow.
Reverse
To be in the non-default position; to be set for the lesser-used route.
Revert
To throw back; to reflect; to reverberate.
Reverse
Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.
Revert
To return; to come back.
So that my arrowsWould have reverted to my bow again.
Reverse
(botany) Reversed.
A reverse shell
Revert
To return to the proprietor after the termination of a particular estate granted by him.
Reverse
(genetics) In which cDNA synthetization is obtained from an RNA template.
Revert
To return, wholly or in part, towards some preëxistent form; to take on the traits or characters of an ancestral type.
Reverse
In a reverse way or direction; in reverse; upside-down.
Revert
To change back, as from a soluble to an insoluble state or the reverse; thus, phosphoric acid in certain fertilizers reverts.
Reverse
The opposite of something.
We believed the Chinese weren't ready for us. In fact, the reverse was true.
Revert
One who, or that which, reverts.
An active promoter in making the East Saxons converts, or rather reverts, to the faith.
Reverse
The act of going backwards; a reversal.
Revert
Go back to a previous state;
We reverted to the old rules
Reverse
A piece of misfortune; a setback.
Revert
Undergo reversion, as in a mutation
Reverse
The tails side of a coin, or the side of a medal or badge that is opposite the obverse.
Revert
To go back in thought or discourse.
Let's revert to the original topic.
Reverse
The side of something facing away from a viewer, or from what is considered the front; the other side.
Revert
To return property or rights.
Upon his death, the estate will revert to his daughter.
Reverse
The gear setting of an automobile that makes it travel backwards.
Revert
To return to a former owner or their heirs.
The property will revert to the state if not claimed.
Reverse
A thrust in fencing made with a backward turn of the hand; a backhanded stroke.
Reverse
(surgery) A turn or fold made in bandaging, by which the direction of the bandage is changed.
Reverse
(transitive) To turn something around so that it faces the opposite direction or runs in the opposite sequence.
To reverse the order of books on a shelf
To reverse a portion of video footage
Reverse
(transitive) To turn something inside out or upside down.
Reverse
(transitive) To transpose the positions of two things.
Reverse
(transitive) To change totally; to alter to the opposite.
All trends reverse eventually.
Reverse
To return, come back.
Reverse
To turn away; to cause to depart.
Reverse
To cause to return; to recall.
Reverse
(legal) To revoke a law, or to change a decision into its opposite.
To reverse a judgment, sentence, or decree
Reverse
To cause a mechanism to operate or move in the opposite direction to normal; to drive a vehicle in the direction the driver has the back.
Reverse
(chemistry) To change the direction of a reaction such that the products become the reactants and vice-versa.
Reverse
To place (a set of points) in the reverse position.
Reverse
To move from the normal position to the reverse position.
Reverse
To engage reverse thrust on (an engine).
Reverse
To overthrow; to subvert.
Reverse
(computing) reverse-engineer
Reverse
Turned backward; having a contrary or opposite direction; hence; opposite or contrary in kind; as, the reverse order or method.
Reverse
Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.
He found the sea diverseWith many a windy storm reverse.
Reverse
Reversed; as, a reverse shell.
Reverse
That which appears or is presented when anything, as a lance, a line, a course of conduct, etc., is reverted or turned contrary to its natural direction.
He did so with the reverse of the lance.
Reverse
That which is directly opposite or contrary to something else; a contrary; an opposite.
And then mistook reverse of wrong for right.
To make everything the reverse of what they have seen, is quite as easy as to destroy.
Reverse
The act of reversing; complete change; reversal; hence, total change in circumstances or character; especially, a change from better to worse; misfortune; a check or defeat; as, the enemy met with a reverse.
The strange reverse of fate you see;I pitied you, now you may pity me.
By a reverse of fortune, Stephen becomes rich.
Reverse
The back side; as, the reverse of a drum or trench; the reverse of a medal or coin, that is, the side opposite to the obverse. See Obverse.
Reverse
A thrust in fencing made with a backward turn of the hand; a backhanded stroke.
Reverse
A turn or fold made in bandaging, by which the direction of the bandage is changed.
Reverse
To turn back; to cause to face in a contrary direction; to cause to depart.
And that old dame said many an idle verse,Out of her daughter's heart fond fancies to reverse.
Reverse
To cause to return; to recall.
And to his fresh remembrance did reverseThe ugly view of his deformed crimes.
Reverse
To change totally; to alter to the opposite.
Reverse the doom of death.
She reversed the conduct of the celebrated vicar of Bray.
Reverse
To turn upside down; to invert.
A pyramid reversed may stand upon his point if balanced by admirable skill.
Reverse
Hence, to overthrow; to subvert.
These can divide, and these reverse, the state.
Custom . . . reverses even the distinctions of good and evil.
Reverse
To overthrow by a contrary decision; to make void; to under or annual for error; as, to reverse a judgment, sentence, or decree.
Reverse
To return; to revert.
Reverse
To become or be reversed.
Reverse
A relation of direct opposition;
We thought Sue was older than Bill but just the reverse was true
Reverse
The gears by which the motion of a machine can be reversed
Reverse
An unfortunate happening that hinders of impedes; something that is thwarting or frustrating
Reverse
The side of a coin or medal that does not bear the principal design
Reverse
(American football) a running play in which a back running in one direction hands the ball to a back running in the opposite direction
Reverse
Turning in the opposite direction
Reverse
Change to the contrary;
The trend was reversed
The tides turned against him
Public opinion turned when it was revealed that the president had an affair with a White House intern
Reverse
Turn inside out or upside down
Reverse
Rule against;
The Republicans were overruled when the House voted on the bill
Reverse
Annul by recalling or rescinding;
He revoked the ban on smoking
Lift an embargo
Vacate a death sentence
Reverse
Directed or moving toward the rear;
A rearward glance
A rearward movement
Reverse
Reversed (turned backward) in order or nature or effect
Reverse
Of the transmission gear causing backward movement in a motor vehicle;
In reverse gear
Reverse
To change direction or position to the opposite.
She decided to reverse her decision.
Common Curiosities
Are "Reverse" and "Revert" interchangeable?
Not always; "Reverse" implies opposite movement, while "Revert" means returning to a prior state.
Can "Reverse" indicate a change in decision?
Yes, one can reverse a decision, meaning they've changed their mind.
Does "Revert" always mean going back to a bad state?
No, "Revert" simply means returning to a previous state, good or bad.
Can "Reverse" be used in the context of vehicles?
Yes, like when a car moves backward or "reverses."
If software updates and then goes back, what term is used?
You'd say the software "reverted" to its previous version.
What's the "reverse" side of a coin?
It's the side opposite the main design or "obverse."
Does "Revert" always imply a temporary change?
No, but it often suggests a return after a brief deviation.
In genetics, what does "Revert" mean?
It means returning to a previous ancestral genetic type.
How is "Reverse" used in the context of clothing?
One might reverse a garment to show or hide a design.
Can "Reverse" mean turning something inside out?
Yes, like reversing a jacket to show the other side.
When discussing topics, can one "Revert"?
Yes, you can "revert" to a previous topic in a discussion.
Is "Revert" only used in negative contexts?
No, it neutrally denotes returning to any prior state.
Can "Reverse" indicate an opposite action?
Yes, like reversing a decision or action.
Can "Reverse" refer to reversing trends or patterns?
Yes, like a "reverse in market trends."
How does "Revert" relate to property ownership?
Property can revert to a prior owner or their heirs.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
