retaliation

Retaliation is when someone takes revenge or punishment after being hurt or wronged by another person.

When we talk about retaliation, it's usually in the context of a situation where one person did something to harm or offend another. The first person might retaliate by doing something similar back to the second person, like hurting them physically or emotionally, but sometimes it can also be just getting even in some way. For example, if someone vandalized your car, you might retaliate by fixing their bike that they left on the sidewalk. This usually isn't a good thing because it makes things worse and can lead to more problems.