fight back

phrasal verb

fought back; fighting back; fights back

1

: to attack or try to defeat someone who is attacking or trying to defeat oneself

We can't just let them make these accusations against us. We need to fight back!

2

: to make a new effort against an opponent

They fell behind early in the game, but they were able to fight back and tie the score in the second half.

Examples of fight back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Chelsea fighting back from 2-0 down to beat West Ham United means the top four this season is most likely going to come from a clutch of six sides. —Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026

The bottom line, though, is about understanding your teen and how this trend is affecting them, rather than fighting back against the trend for the sake of it. —Jana Pollack, Parents, 31 Jan. 2026

As the United States convulses with violent raids from emboldened ICE agents, citizens across the country have fought back with block-by-block mutual aid. —Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026

Democrats are fighting back in Virginia and Maryland where new maps are currently being considered. —Jeffrey M. Wice, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for fight back

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