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

In this moment, left-wingers increasingly seem to have realized that the answer to modern trolls surfing debate formats to virality isn’t dissociation and containment but to get in the ring and fight back. —Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2025

When, for example, initially faced with the evidence of the Stalions’ sign-stealing scandal, the university fought back. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 Dec. 2025

In July, video obtained by WJZ shows a pastor from a Connecticut church fighting back as he was carjacked at gunpoint while visiting Baltimore on June 29. —Tara Lynch, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

William has discovered poetry, and must learn how to fight back and run fast. —Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for fight back

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