as in to backfire
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
the well-meaning gesture boomeranged, since he ended up being offended by it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
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There were even marketing wars that sometimes backfired, as in 1994, when Owners Abroad promised a marketing blitz after rebranding to First Choice.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025 -
The gamble backfired and his centrist bloc lost seats to the far right and far left, leaving France with a divided National Assembly and effectively ungovernable.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By this time, the Soviet Union had collapsed, leading Manuylov to start a business in the candy trade.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Luckily, the airport had a failsafe in the form of a ground material designed to collapse under the plane's weight and stop it in its tracks.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Between 1958 and 1978, 30 of the low-budget comedies were churned out (a revival in 1992 flopped), attracting millions of viewers worldwide.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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The strategy created momentum, but Llama 4 flopped when it was released in early April 2025—at which point, Pineau had already submitted her resignation.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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