fired back; firing back; fires back
: to answer someone quickly and usually angrily
After his statement, his opponents fired back.
—often used with atShe fired back at her critics.
: to utter as a quick and angry response
He fired back a comparable insult …—
Drew T. Brown III
Drew T. Brown IIIExamples of fireback in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
There’s also a cast iron fireback in the fireplace in the living room.
—Joanne Kempinger Demski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 May 2022
Abbey Mastracco, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Taylor's boyfriend at the time fired at the officers, and Taylor was killed as police fired back.
—Dylan Lovan, Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, hit $115 a barrel Thursday morning after Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field spurred Tehran to fire back at energy infrastructure across the Middle East.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
The company twisted the knife with Super Bowl ads mocking OpenAI’s slop, and Altman fired back, sniping that Anthropic wanted to be the traffic cop of AI.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
Jordon Hudson, the girlfriend of North Carolina Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick, fired back at critics on Monday with a post about her cheerleading team’s success.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Shell fired back on Monday, accusing Cipriani of defamation and extortion and of seeking to exploit their fleeting association to extract an undeserved payday.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Consistent with his persona, Peterson has never fired back.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
Media reports say police fired back at Ray and that two officers were injured, including one who suffered a graze bullet wound to the head.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The head was followed by bright yellowish-orange tail feathers, easily identifiable as the fireback.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
There’s also a cast iron fireback in the fireplace in the living room.
—Joanne Kempinger Demski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 May 2022
Verb
But after Tong said the hitters should be curbed, outfielder Tyrone Taylor fired back.
—Abbey Mastracco, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026
Taylor's boyfriend at the time fired at the officers, and Taylor was killed as police fired back.
—Dylan Lovan, Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, hit $115 a barrel Thursday morning after Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field spurred Tehran to fire back at energy infrastructure across the Middle East.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
The company twisted the knife with Super Bowl ads mocking OpenAI’s slop, and Altman fired back, sniping that Anthropic wanted to be the traffic cop of AI.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
Jordon Hudson, the girlfriend of North Carolina Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick, fired back at critics on Monday with a post about her cheerleading team’s success.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Shell fired back on Monday, accusing Cipriani of defamation and extortion and of seeking to exploit their fleeting association to extract an undeserved payday.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Consistent with his persona, Peterson has never fired back.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
Media reports say police fired back at Ray and that two officers were injured, including one who suffered a graze bullet wound to the head.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fireback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fireback. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
