reversed

Everyday

1. Reversed is the past form of «reverse»: drove backwards, or turned something the other way or to the opposite. tree →
2. As an adjective, reversed means turned backwards, upside down or the opposite way round («a reversed letter», «roles reversed»). tree →

In the lessons

In school a «reversed» letter or number (like writing b for d, or a backwards 3) is common in young children. In maths reversed digits make a new number (32 reversed is 23). In stories «the roles were reversed» means people swapped places. In science a reversed change goes back to how it was. Phrases: «in reversed order», «roles reversed», «reversed the decision».

Examples

• The van reversed out of the driveway. tree →
• My little brother writes some of his letters reversed. tree →
• The number 47 reversed is 74. tree →
• The decision was reversed after the video replay. tree →
• Now the roles were reversed: the pupil taught the teacher. tree →
• The mirror shows your face reversed left to right. tree →
• She reversed the order of the cards. tree →
• When the ice melted, the change was reversed. tree →

Note

Regular past: «reversed». A mirror reverses left and right, so writing looks backwards. In maths, reversing the digits of a two-digit number changes its value: the difference between a number and its reverse is always a multiple of 9 (52 − 25 = 27).