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
That is, until the bakery hit back.
—
Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
But that prompted its chairwoman to hit back and accuse him of using the nonprofit as a vanity project, along with also making claims about widespread bullying and harassment.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2025
The Chiefs quickly hit back with running back Kareem Hunt dashing in from five yards early in the fourth to tie the game up again.
—Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
The tornado that ended the 12-year gap actually hit back in June, but new damage analysis has upgraded a deadly twister initially categorized as an EF3 near Enderlin, North Dakota.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hit back
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Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
But that prompted its chairwoman to hit back and accuse him of using the nonprofit as a vanity project, along with also making claims about widespread bullying and harassment.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 10 Oct. 2025
The Chiefs quickly hit back with running back Kareem Hunt dashing in from five yards early in the fourth to tie the game up again.
—Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
The tornado that ended the 12-year gap actually hit back in June, but new damage analysis has upgraded a deadly twister initially categorized as an EF3 near Enderlin, North Dakota.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 6 Oct. 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 21 Oct. 2025.
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