Meaning & use
tit for tat
The act of responding to an injury or insult with an equivalent action in retaliation.
See it in a sentence
The neighbors' feud became pure tit for tat, each side matching every insult with another.
In a tit-for-tat move, the company matched its rival's price cut within a day.
A note on using this word
'Tit for tat' is often used as a noun phrase or hyphenated adjective before a noun, as in 'a tit-for-tat response'.
Words with a similar meaning
retaliationpayback
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tit for tat”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.