fight back

phrasal verb

fought back; fighting back; fights back

: 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!

: 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 Alcaraz fought back from 3-5 down to force a tiebreaker in the first set, the first five points of which Medvedev won with wicked returns and impeccable shot-making that included digging out a groundstroke on a ball Alcaraz had placed practically on his shoelaces. —

Ava Wallace, Washington Post, 12 July 2024 But the industry fought back, sowing doubt about the research and hiring doctors to argue that their products were safe. —

Stephen Mihm, Twin Cities, 11 July 2024 Flashback: Last year, House Democrats fought back against such policy riders. —

Sareen Habeshian, Axios, 11 July 2024 Biden and his allies have fought back — belatedly, perhaps — this week. —

Niall Stanage, The Hill, 10 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for fight back

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fight back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.