comeback

1 of 2

noun

come·​back ˈkəm-ˌbak 

1

a

: a sharp or witty reply : retort

b

: a cause for complaint

2

: a return to a former position or condition (as of success or prosperity) : recovery, revival

… staging his ultimate comeback from self-imposed exile in Belgium.

—Howard Mandel

These days, the cocktail—the true cocktail—is said to be making a comeback.

—Frank H. Prial

come back

2 of 2

verb

came back; come back; coming back; comes back

intransitive verb

1

: to return to life or vitality

2

: to return to memory

It's all coming back to me now.

3

: reply, retort

When questioned, he came back with a vehement denial.

4

a

: to regain a former favorable condition or position

b

: to recover from a deficit in a contest or competition

… it was the first time in NHL history that a team was down by three goals inside the final five minutes and came back to win a game.

—Mike Harrington

Synonyms of comeback

Noun

• retort

Verb

• recover
• improve
• snap back

Examples of comeback in a Sentence

Noun

The species was nearly extinct but is now making a comeback.

Short skirts were out of fashion for many years, but now they're making a comeback.

The team was trailing after the first half, but they made a comeback and won in the second half.

The team mounted a comeback in the second half of the season.

Verb

she's slowly coming back after being in a coma

the American bald eagle was once nearly extinct but has come back strong

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Competing lower difficulty due to her recent comeback, Carey cruised through her two vaults to take a comfortable lead in the vault standings. — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

The Wallabies were forced to dig deep after a first-half red card for Miles Amatosero, battling the heat and a strong comeback from Japan to emerge victorious. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

Verb

Guidance for next year is softer, with revenue growth targeted near 13% against 26% this year, but the seats came back. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

Caps record-holder Eben Etzebeth and flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu played every minute and lock Lood de Jager, coming back from a hip injury, endured into the third quarter. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for comeback

• almanac
• camelback
• cardiac
• carryback
• cluniac
• diamondback
• lumberjack
• maniac
• paperback
• piggyback
• quarterback
• saddleback

Kids Definition

comeback

noun

come·​back ˈkəm-ˌbak 

1

: retort entry 2

2

: a return to a former position or condition (as of health, power, popularity, or prosperity) : recovery