Revert meaning: go back, or reply
Revert means go back to an earlier state, habit or version. In Indian English the word can also mean reply. "Please revert" at the end of an email means please write back.
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Revert means go back
The meaning every dictionary agrees on
Everywhere English is spoken, revert means return to how things were, as when a company reverts to the old expense form. It comes from the Latin revertere, “to turn back”. Dictionaries date its arrival in English anywhere from the 13th to the 15th century.
Revert to type
To revert to type is to go back to how someone naturally behaves, usually after a short spell of behaving better. The new manager who banned Friday afternoon meetings in week one reverts to type in week three, with a 4:30 pm “quick sync”.
Revert in software and shared files
In software and shared documents, a revert undoes a change and restores the earlier version. That’s how one bad edit becomes a 40-message thread about who reverted whom.
Revert means reply
Revert in Indian English email
In Indian English, revert also means reply, mostly in formal writing. “Please revert by Friday” means answer by Friday. Two learner’s dictionaries list the reply sense and label it Indian English. That makes it a standard local use, and a correct one.
How far the reply sense has traveled
Dictionaries disagree on how far the reply sense has spread, so “please revert” is plain business English to some readers and a puzzle to others.
| Dictionary | The reply sense |
|---|---|
| A leading American one | Not listed at all |
| A crowd-edited one | Originally Indian, now global |
| A British one | Filed under US usage |
Answering a please revert
When an email asks you to revert, write back. A recruiter who sends “kindly revert with your notice period” wants to know how long your notice runs and the date you could start.
Revert back
One dictionary’s usage note says “revert back” repeats itself, because back is already part of the meaning. Another dictionary asks the reader to “kindly revert back” in its own example sentence. Drop the back and you save a word and an argument.
When revert crosses offices
A reply that reads as an undo
When two offices read the word differently, “please revert on the new rates tab by Thursday” can send a coworker to roll the shared spreadsheet back a week. The writer meant one standard sense and the reader took the other. Each side fixes it by changing one word. Write reply when you mean reply, and restore when you mean restore.
Reading it in context
The words after revert usually decide what it means. When they don’t, ask.
| What follows revert | What it means |
|---|---|
| A person or a deadline: “revert to me”, “revert by Friday” | Reply |
| An earlier version: “revert to the old template”, “revert the change” | Undo |
Words that travel better
“Reply by Thursday” and “get back to me” read the same in every office. When you mean undo, say restore or roll back, and nobody will read either one as reply. Revert’s formal cousins in our corporate jargon dictionary have plain replacements too. As per becomes “according to”, and please advise becomes “tell me what to do”.
An email asking you to revert
Subject: Vendor onboarding form, signature needed
Hi Priya, attaching the onboarding form with our bank details filled in.
Kindly revertPlease reply by Thursday so finance can add us to the payment run on the 15th.
Kindly revert in a sentence
Please review the draft contract and revert by Thursday, Jonas.
The new login page broke checkout, Priya, so we'll revert to last week's version tonight.
Thanks for the quote, Deepa. I'll revert once my manager has seen the numbers.
Summer hours end Friday, Thandiwe, and the office reverts to 9 to 5:30.
Questions about revert
What does "to revert" mean?
To return to a previous state, or to an older way of doing things. When the new system crashed, the office reverted to paper forms. Indian English adds a second meaning, to reply to a message.
Do we say revert back to you?
Many people do, but revert already means go back, so the back is spare. If you mean you'll answer, "I'll reply by Friday" or "I'll get back to you" works in every office.
Does revert mean reply?
In Indian English, yes, mostly in formal email. Elsewhere, plenty of readers won't know that sense. A leading American dictionary doesn't list it at all.
What does it mean for someone to revert?
They've returned to an earlier way of behaving or working, like reverting to old habits after a good month. At work it usually means a process or a person sliding back to how things were before the change.
What does it mean when someone says they will revert?
They'll get back to you with an answer. That reply sense is Indian English, so "I will revert by Friday" promises an answer by Friday. If no date comes with it, ask for one.
What is another word for revert?
For going back, return, regress or relapse. For the reply sense, write reply or get back to you, which every office reads the same way. The opposites are advance and progress.