hit back
phrasal verb
hit back; hitting back; hits back
informal
: to attack or criticize someone after being attacked or criticized by them
Weary of her rival's accusations, the candidate hit back with an aggressive ad campaign.
The team hit back with a touchdown of their own.
—often + atThe Senator hit back at his critics.
Examples of hit back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
China’s Foreign Ministry, which has previously hit back at such swipes, struck a measured tone on Thursday.
—
TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
Well, clearly somewhat peeved at being dethroned, Bulgari has hit back with the Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, regaining the crown for creating the thinnest watch on the planet.
—Jeremy White, WIRED, 11 Apr. 2024
Despite this, relatively small U.S. military bases in Syria and Iraq came under fire from various militia groups, which led the U.S. to hit back.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024
Earlier this week, Iranian leaders vowed to hit back after an airstrike widely blamed on Israel destroyed Iran's Consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Republicans hit back at Harris’s visit in a statement ahead of her appearance.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2024
Netanyahu hit back yesterday against growing criticism of his leadership from senior American lawmakers.
—NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
OpenAI hit back at Elon Musk in a blog post published on its site Tuesday, responding to a lawsuit by one of its co-founders and former benefactors.
—Rachel Metz, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024
Queen sends a pair of hits back to the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart this week.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
Well, clearly somewhat peeved at being dethroned, Bulgari has hit back with the Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, regaining the crown for creating the thinnest watch on the planet.
—Jeremy White, WIRED, 11 Apr. 2024
Despite this, relatively small U.S. military bases in Syria and Iraq came under fire from various militia groups, which led the U.S. to hit back.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024
Earlier this week, Iranian leaders vowed to hit back after an airstrike widely blamed on Israel destroyed Iran's Consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Republicans hit back at Harris’s visit in a statement ahead of her appearance.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2024
Netanyahu hit back yesterday against growing criticism of his leadership from senior American lawmakers.
—NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
OpenAI hit back at Elon Musk in a blog post published on its site Tuesday, responding to a lawsuit by one of its co-founders and former benefactors.
—Rachel Metz, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024
Queen sends a pair of hits back to the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart this week.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hit back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hit back
Cite this Entry
“Hit back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%20back. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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