boomerang

noun

boo·​mer·​ang ˈbü-mə-ˌraŋ 

1

: a bent or angular throwing club typically flat on one side and rounded on the other so that it soars or curves in flight

especially : one designed to return near the thrower

2

: an act or utterance that backfires on its originator

boomerang intransitive verb

Examples of boomerang in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Thrivent found that while 63% of children who never returned home received an A or B grade on their budgeting skills, only 46% of ‘boomerang kids’ received good marks. —Mark C. Perna, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

New technology has revealed that an ancient mammoth tusk boomerang discovered in Poland in 1985 is significantly older than archaeologists initially believed. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 1 July 2025

Based on experiments with a replica, the Polish mammoth boomerang flies smoothly but doesn’t return, similar to certain types of Aboriginal Australian boomerangs. —ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025

While most associated with Australia, boomerangs are also documented around the world. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Dharuk (Australian aboriginal language of the Port Jackson area) bumarinʸ

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing boomerang

• boomerang child

Rhymes for boomerang

• overhang
• bang
• chuang
• clang
• dang
• drang
• fang
• gang
• gangue
• hang
• hange
• kang

Kids Definition

boomerang

1 of 2 noun

boo·​mer·​ang

ˈbü-mə-ˌraŋ

: a curved club that can be thrown so as to return to the thrower

boomerang

2 of 2 verb

: backfire entry 2 sense 2

Etymology

the Indigenous word for this club in Australia