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
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Recent Examples of boomerang
The most blatant of those on Sunday was Kelce converting a great opportunity into a play that boomeranged the other way.
—
Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boomerang
Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boomerang
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
-
The decision instantly backfired.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The White House’s plan to aid Argentina appears to have backfired.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In this scene, Vivian tries to teach Wil how to fall without hurting herself, as dancers do; of course, Wil only collapses to the ground when Vivian gets too close to her.—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
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All 67 people aboard both aircraft were killed as the plane and helicopter collapsed into the river below.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Splinter after splinter flopping onto the stone threshold, tsss, tsss, hissing like a nest of vipers.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
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This Colombian has been flopping in the US since 2003, has apparently not had a job since 2014.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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