tit for tat

noun

1. with an equivalent given in retaliation, as a blow for a blow, repartee, etc.:

   He answered their insults tit for tat.

tit for tat

noun

1. an equivalent given in return or retaliation; blow for blow

tit for tat

1. Giving back exactly what one receives: “If you hit me, I'll do the same to you; it's tit for tat.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tit for tat¹

First recorded in 1550–60; perhaps variant of earlier tip for tap

Word History and Origins

Origin of tit for tat¹

C16: from earlier tip for tap

Idioms and Phrases

Repayment in kind, retaliation, as in If he won't help with the beach clean-up, I won't run a booth at the bake sale; that's tit for tat . This term is believed to be a corruption of tip for tap , which meant “a blow for a blow.” Its current form dates from the mid-1500s.

Example Sentences

Given the potential for a cyber tit-for-tat to escalate, Obama has even more incentive to find a diplomatic solution.

From The Daily Beast

Other feminist sites have championed objectifying men in tit-for-tat fashion as empowering women.

From The Daily Beast

This series of tit-for-tat bombings has created the most violent and volatile dynamic in Lebanon since the end of the civil war.

From The Daily Beast

But the brewing scandal is about more than political tit-for-tat.

From The Daily Beast

An argument over money provokes tit-for-tat hostage-takings between guerrilla commanders.

From The Daily Beast

It requires some study to make out who is the speaker in the tit-for-tat of the dialogue.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Stanges play was an amusing comedy, dealing with domestic infelicityof the tit-for-tat orderin the old style.

From Project Gutenberg

It was therefore but tit-for-tat when Minos sent Athenian tributary boys and girls to fight his bull, the bullheaded Minotaur.

From Project Gutenberg

Was she saying to herself that this was tit-for-tat; a riposte for his "Sibyl" of their talk in the morning?

From Project Gutenberg

He had declared war against Bence; henceforth, he vowed, the tit-for-tat policy should be pursued with implacable thoroughness.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Tit For Tat

What does tit for tat mean?

Tit for tat is used to refer to a situation in which an action or retaliation is equivalent to the action that it is done in response to.

The phrase is most often used in the context of a wrong being committed against someone who then does the same or a similar thing to the person who did it to them, as in If you break my stuff, I break yours—it’s tit for tat.

Tit for tat is often used after the verb go, as in The two of them were going tit for tat, trading insults one after another.

The phrase is sometimes hyphenated, as tit-for-tat.

Example: Until I made a mistake, the chess game was tit for tat, with each of us capturing pieces back and forth.

Where does tit for tat come from?

The first records of the phrase tit for tat come from the mid-1500s. The first recorded uses of it are by English playwright John Heywood. It’s thought to be a variant of the earlier phrase tip for tap, in which both tip and tap mean “a small blow” (as in a hit or punch).

The phrase an eye for an eye is similar, but is most commonly used in the context of justice.

Tit for tat is sometimes used to mean something similar to quid pro quo, which is used in situations in which something is offered only when something is given in return. Quid pro quo may be especially associated with tit for tat because the Latin phrase is sometimes translated as the similar-sounding “this for that.” However, quid pro quo is not usually used to refer to retaliation.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to tit for tat?

• tit-for-tat (alternate hyphenated spelling)

What are some synonyms for tit for tat?

• blow for blow
• eye for an eye

What are some words that share a root or word element with tit for tat?

• tip
• tap

What are some words that often get used in discussing tit for tat?

• retaliation
• reply
• repartee
• equivalent
• trade-off
• payback
• quid pro quo

How is tit for tat used in real life?

Tit for tat is usually used in negative contexts involving some kind of retaliation.

This NBA Finals game is absolutely terrific. LeBron and Butler going tit-for-tat in a close game. Fantastic basketball.

— Ricky LaBlue (@RickyLaBlue) October 10, 2020

I assume this is some sort of tit-for-tat retaliation for shelling of Stepanakert. But it does not aid you in any way and only ruins your ability to be seen as the more moral side in the conflict.

— Neil Hauer (@NeilPHauer) October 16, 2020

It really does concern me when people on twitter get into a tit for tat argument that rumbles on and on with neither party giving way. Please just grow up and act responsibly Everyone is entitled to an opinion but that shouldn’t just go on and on You Are What You Tweet

— Harry Stephenson (@dstics) December 10, 2017

Try using tit for tat!

Is tit for tat used correctly in the following sentence?

It was an extremely close debate—the teams went tit for tat.