strike back
phrasal verb
struck back; struck back also stricken back; striking back; strikes back
: to try to hurt someone who has hurt one or treated one badly
When he called her lazy, she immediately struck back by calling him fat.
—often + atHe angrily struck back at his critics.
Examples of strike back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Israelis understand that their country’s long-term survival depends on reasserting deterrence by striking back: displaying resilience, determination, and military prowess.
—
Elliott Abrams, Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2024
Surely the world would understand the legitimacy of Israel striking back.
—Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
Kyiv struck back, destroying over a dozen of Russia's ships over the following months.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2024
Down 10-3, the Texans struck back on special teams.
—Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024
Stoner artists struck back hard at prohibition and provided the soundtrack activists needed to get weed legal.
—Andrew Deangelo, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
But slow-growth supporters struck back in the 2021 election and solidified their power in 2023.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2024
Music industry strikes back Battle lines are being drawn in the music industry as creators brace for a tussle over their content being used by sophisticated models to make new forms of art.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 18 Mar. 2024
Fresh details from Universal Orlando about its upcoming Epic Universe theme park are the latest flex in the long-running competition for tourism dollars by entertainment titans, including standing champion Walt Disney World, which industry analysts predict could soon strike back.
—Dewayne Bevil, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2024
Elliott Abrams, Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2024
Surely the world would understand the legitimacy of Israel striking back.
—Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
Kyiv struck back, destroying over a dozen of Russia's ships over the following months.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2024
Down 10-3, the Texans struck back on special teams.
—Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024
Stoner artists struck back hard at prohibition and provided the soundtrack activists needed to get weed legal.
—Andrew Deangelo, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
But slow-growth supporters struck back in the 2021 election and solidified their power in 2023.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2024
Music industry strikes back Battle lines are being drawn in the music industry as creators brace for a tussle over their content being used by sophisticated models to make new forms of art.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 18 Mar. 2024
Fresh details from Universal Orlando about its upcoming Epic Universe theme park are the latest flex in the long-running competition for tourism dollars by entertainment titans, including standing champion Walt Disney World, which industry analysts predict could soon strike back.
—Dewayne Bevil, Orange County Register, 5 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strike 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 strike back
Cite this Entry
“Strike back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20back. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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