Tit For Tat Meaning, Usage With Examples, Synonyms

Tit for tat meaning is a strategy or way in which someone responds or reacts to somebody’s action or behaviour in a similar way or manner. This idiom is often used in a tone or with the intention of taking revenge or getting even.

It refers to the mutual exchange of actions between two or more people, especially in a negative sense. This phrase suggests that the other person or side is responding or retaliating in the same way as it had gone through or talking in the same way.

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Usage With Examples

This phrase originated from the game concept of the same name, where a strategy is built by players to initially cooperate and then subsequently imitate the opponent’s previous actions or moves. In a broader sense, tit-for-tat can be described as a situation where responses and actions are mirrored or reciprocated.

Here are some examples of using ‘tit for tat’ in a sentence which will give you an idea about how to use it appropriately.

• ‘He didn’t invite me to his new year party. I guess it was tit for tat, as I also didn’t send him any invitation when I had one.’
• ‘Hershel didn’t give me a pass during the soccer game, so I gave him tit for tat.’
• ‘Her actions were tit for tat.’
• ‘Their tit for tat behaviour is bad for business.’

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Tit For Tat Synonyms and Similar Words

The idiom ‘Tit for tat’ has a lot of similar words and synonyms that can be used in different situations and also during normal conversation. Here are some of the frequently known synonyms for the phrase tit for tat.

• Counterstroke
• Retaliation 
• As good as one gets
• Getting even
• Comeback

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Tit For Tat Meaning Quiz

It’s tit for tat when Ronni used the same technique to defeat his opponent in the chess game

1. He took it personally
2. He was a master
3. He noticed the moves earlier

Ans. He noticed the moves earlier

This was all about the idiom tit for tat with its example and synonyms. Hope you understood the concept where it’s used. For more such blogs, follow Leverage Edu.