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

The state is fighting back with a lawsuit. —Esme Murphy, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026

Plans remained in flux for years as the state conducted water studies and counties like Tippecanoe fought back against ideas to pump water from their nearby reserves. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 12 Jan. 2026

Troy trailed by eight points in the second quarter but fought back to take a 50-49 lead early in the fourth on a 3-pointer by Robinson. —Dan Albano, Oc Register, 11 Jan. 2026

This is what people power looks like — showing up, fighting back, and refusing to let our neighbors be disappeared. —Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 10 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for fight back

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