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
Country stars are hitting back — literally and figuratively.
—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The scheme could easily be expanded to include, for example, the purchase of defensive turrets or low-cost interceptor drones to stop Russian Shahed attacks, or, more controversially, long-range weapons to hit back at Russia.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In a response posted to social media, Kennedy hit back at the pediatrics academy's criticism, implying that the organization's pro-vaccine views were influenced by corporate pharmaceutical funders.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Trump has begun to use the potential deployment of National Guard troops as a cudgel to hit back at his Democratic critics.
—Richard Hall, Time, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hit back
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Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The scheme could easily be expanded to include, for example, the purchase of defensive turrets or low-cost interceptor drones to stop Russian Shahed attacks, or, more controversially, long-range weapons to hit back at Russia.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In a response posted to social media, Kennedy hit back at the pediatrics academy's criticism, implying that the organization's pro-vaccine views were influenced by corporate pharmaceutical funders.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Trump has begun to use the potential deployment of National Guard troops as a cudgel to hit back at his Democratic critics.
—Richard Hall, Time, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hit back
Cite this Entry
“Hit back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%20back. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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