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
Maybe the Sox can honor Ryan by reminding him of the night Ozzie Guillen and Craig Grebeck hit back-to-back home runs off him in 1990, their only home runs that season.
—
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
But Lloyd Blankfein, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, is hitting back with his own two cents for budding workers.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
Amazon is off 22% from the 52-week high hit back in early November.
—Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026
But California hit back by enacting new districts that are likely to turn five GOP seats blue.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hit back
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Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
But Lloyd Blankfein, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, is hitting back with his own two cents for budding workers.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
Amazon is off 22% from the 52-week high hit back in early November.
—Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026
But California hit back by enacting new districts that are likely to turn five GOP seats blue.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
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 4 Mar. 2026.
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