hit back

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
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But during the third time through the order, the Orioles finally figured him out and hit back-to-back home runs. Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026 Just last month, LaLonde was on hand at the TCM Classic Film Festival to help introduce a 4K restoration screening of the Crawford-starring Letty Lynton (1932), a big hit back in the day. Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2026 Josh Bell and Royce Lewis hit back-to-back homers in the eighth. CBS News, 20 June 2026 Beijing hit back with its own duties as well as restrictions on rare earth exports. Jason Ma, Fortune, 20 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hit back

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Cite this Entry

“Hit back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%20back. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.

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