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 + at

The Senator hit back at his critics.

Examples of hit back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Grande has not publicly commented on the situation but her fan base swiftly hit back at Wen's behavior and accused the influencer of re-traumatizing the singer, whose 2017 concert in Manchester, England, was disrupted by a terrorist attack that killed 22 attendees. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Nov. 2025

But billionaire investing mogul Warren Buffett hit back at the notion that eye-watering net worths equate to excellence. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025

Despite admitting mistakes, Turness hit back at claims of deliberate bias. —Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025

Jason Terry hit back-to-back midrange jumpers and a pair of free throws in 60 seconds. —The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025

Rhymes for hit back

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