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

McElroy hit back in the interview, saying the government funding was far from sufficient to cover the programs and the church had to pick up the shortfall. —Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 3 July 2025

Mamdani also hit back at Trump's praise for Adams in his statement. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025

While the newlyweds celebrated overseas with their friends and family, Hollywood stars at home hit back at the nuptials in subtle – and not-so-subtle – ways. —Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2025

The assumption with the revenge tax is that hitting back will force foreign governments to shrink their tax take of the earnings of U.S. corporations operating overseas. —John Tamny, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Rhymes for hit back

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