From the trilateral Arabic root ر-ج-ع (r-j-ʿ), conveying the core meaning of "returning" or "reverting." The same root produces رُجوع (rujūʿ, "return/homecoming"), مَرْجِع (marjiʿ, "reference/authority"), and the Quranic concept of رَجْعَة (rajʿa, "the return [to God]"). Cognates appear across Semitic languages with similar senses of going back.

In everyday Arabic speech, رَجَعَ is used far more commonly than its Modern Standard Arabic synonym عَادَ (ʿāda) in many dialects, including Egyptian, Levantine, and Gulf Arabic. A very common phrase you will hear at airports and family gatherings is رَجَعْت بِالسَّلامة (rajaʿt bis-salāma — "you've returned safely"), a warm welcome said to someone arriving home from a trip.