hit back

verb

hit back; hitting back; hits back

informal

: to attack or criticize someone after being attacked or criticized by them

Weary of her rival's accusations, the candidate hit back with an aggressive ad campaign.

The team hit back with a touchdown of their own.

—often + at

The Senator hit back at his critics.

Examples of hit back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Rays, though, hit back with DeLuca simply putting the ball in play, and Brewers third baseman David Hamilton throwing it away in the bottom of the fourth to allow Caminero to cross the plate for the 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Their Democratic rivals are hitting back, saying the efforts have either not gone far enough or are self-serving in the final weeks of the campaign. — David Hickey, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Ukraine has hit back at Russia by launching long-range drones and missiles at oil refineries and storage depots. — Samya Kullab, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026

Other California politicians hit back Trump’s statement on Los Angeles and San Diego has since become fodder for California’s Democratic politicians ahead of the November general elections. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for hit back

• aback
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback