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

After McCain voiced anti-trans sentiment regarding trans women playing sports, Cohen hit back at McCain on social media in March. —EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025

Trump hits back at Jasmine Crockett, calls her ‘a very low IQ person’. —FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025

India has hit back at the United States in defense of its oil purchases from Russia after President Donald Trump issued a new threat of tariffs tied to the trade. —Matthew Tostevin, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2025

With Trump aiming to squeeze at least five more GOP seats in the Lone Star State, Hochul said Democrats should be open to hitting back by redrawing New York’s 26 districts to benefit Team Blue. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 24 July 2025

Rhymes for hit back

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