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
For a sit-in at a lunch counter, they were told, sit up straight, be courteous and don’t strike back.
—
Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 10 June 2024
Israel struck back militarily, seeking to free the hostages freed and destroy Hamas' military capability, while causing the deaths of more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the United Nations.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 3 June 2024
In 2020, Iran struck back at the United States for killing Iran’s top military commander, firing missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing American troops; more than 100 U.S. service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after the attack.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024
Iran has struck back against Israel in the past by targeting Israeli citizens in foreign countries.
—Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2023
But slow-growth supporters struck back in the 2021 election and solidified their power in 2023.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2024
An exploited worker at an Arkansas chicken plant strikes back with a kidnapping, which leads to other brutal events in Edgar winner Cranor's crime thriller.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024
After the Broncos evened the game in the fifth inning, SDSU struck back, scoring a pair of runs each in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 6-2 lead.
—U-T News Services, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2024
But the 2023 World Series champs struck back with a 15-4 victory on Saturday night.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2024
Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 10 June 2024
Israel struck back militarily, seeking to free the hostages freed and destroy Hamas' military capability, while causing the deaths of more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the United Nations.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 3 June 2024
In 2020, Iran struck back at the United States for killing Iran’s top military commander, firing missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing American troops; more than 100 U.S. service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after the attack.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024
Iran has struck back against Israel in the past by targeting Israeli citizens in foreign countries.
—Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2023
But slow-growth supporters struck back in the 2021 election and solidified their power in 2023.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2024
An exploited worker at an Arkansas chicken plant strikes back with a kidnapping, which leads to other brutal events in Edgar winner Cranor's crime thriller.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024
After the Broncos evened the game in the fifth inning, SDSU struck back, scoring a pair of runs each in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 6-2 lead.
—U-T News Services, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2024
But the 2023 World Series champs struck back with a 15-4 victory on Saturday night.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 May 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Strike back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20back. Accessed 17 Jun. 2024.
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