fight back
phrasal verb
fought back; fighting back; fights back
1
: to attack or try to defeat someone who is attacking or trying to defeat oneself
We can't just let them make these accusations against us. We need to fight back!
2
: to make a new effort against an opponent
They fell behind early in the game, but they were able to fight back and tie the score in the second half.
Examples of fight back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Another clip shows the crocodile fighting back, thrashing and rolling around.
—
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 May 2024
Meanwhile, for those of us in the public policy space, our solemn task is to continue to tell the stories of those taken by hatred far too soon as well as those who have fought back—and to loudly condemn those who continue choosing violence in pursuit of hatred.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
As the gushing continued, Freese smiled but also appeared to be fighting back tears.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 10 May 2024
And more systems and companies have popped up to help merchants and others fight back unreasonable claims.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 9 May 2024
The crypto companies are fighting back against the SEC.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 6 May 2024
The street-smart Armstrong gave up early on trying to fight back against bigoted record companies, theater managers, and movie producers.
—Larry Tye, Fortune, 4 May 2024
Yet in the decades that have passed, what’s endured is a genuine punk spirit, fed by Hanna’s ongoing force as a gutsy, proud feminist who helped other artists and fans fight back against abuse and discrimination.
—Lauren Leblanc, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Nikiya Mathis, a hair and wig designer fighting back against hair discrimination for Black actors and who worked on shows such as JaJa’s African Hair Braiding, Top Dog/Underdog, Death of a Salesman and more.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2024
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 May 2024
Meanwhile, for those of us in the public policy space, our solemn task is to continue to tell the stories of those taken by hatred far too soon as well as those who have fought back—and to loudly condemn those who continue choosing violence in pursuit of hatred.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
As the gushing continued, Freese smiled but also appeared to be fighting back tears.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 10 May 2024
And more systems and companies have popped up to help merchants and others fight back unreasonable claims.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 9 May 2024
The crypto companies are fighting back against the SEC.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 6 May 2024
The street-smart Armstrong gave up early on trying to fight back against bigoted record companies, theater managers, and movie producers.
—Larry Tye, Fortune, 4 May 2024
Yet in the decades that have passed, what’s endured is a genuine punk spirit, fed by Hanna’s ongoing force as a gutsy, proud feminist who helped other artists and fans fight back against abuse and discrimination.
—Lauren Leblanc, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Nikiya Mathis, a hair and wig designer fighting back against hair discrimination for Black actors and who worked on shows such as JaJa’s African Hair Braiding, Top Dog/Underdog, Death of a Salesman and more.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fight back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fight back
Cite this Entry
“Fight back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fight%20back. Accessed 19 May. 2024.
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