comeback

1 of 2

noun

come·​back ˈkəm-ˌbak 

1

a

: a sharp or witty reply : retort

b

: a cause for complaint

2

: a return to a former position or condition (as of success or prosperity) : recovery, revival

… staging his ultimate comeback from self-imposed exile in Belgium.

—Howard Mandel

These days, the cocktail—the true cocktail—is said to be making a comeback.

—Frank H. Prial

come back

2 of 2

verb

came back; come back; coming back; comes back

intransitive verb

1

: to return to life or vitality

2

: to return to memory

It's all coming back to me now.

3

: reply, retort

When questioned, he came back with a vehement denial.

4

a

: to regain a former favorable condition or position

b

: to recover from a deficit in a contest or competition

… it was the first time in NHL history that a team was down by three goals inside the final five minutes and came back to win a game.

—Mike Harrington

Synonyms of comeback

Noun

• retort

Verb

• recover
• improve
• snap back

Examples of comeback in a Sentence

Noun

The species was nearly extinct but is now making a comeback.

Short skirts were out of fashion for many years, but now they're making a comeback.

The team was trailing after the first half, but they made a comeback and won in the second half.

The team mounted a comeback in the second half of the season.

Verb

she's slowly coming back after being in a coma

the American bald eagle was once nearly extinct but has come back strong

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That comeback victory over Tennessee, a game in which KU rallied from a 12-point deficit, came in the third-place game of the Players Era tourney in Las Vegas. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2026

Plenty of fans left ExtraMile Arena at halftime, meaning even when the Broncos brought the Antelopes to within four points at 51-47, there wasn’t much juice in the arena to spur on a comeback. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026

Verb

The Kings came back to cut the deficit to one on a few occasions late in the first half. —Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 10 Jan. 2026

Carolyn Collins scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Mya Korpal had 15 points as Winchester came back to defeat Reading 54-53 in Middlesex League play. —Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 10 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for comeback

• almanac
• camelback
• cardiac
• carryback
• cluniac
• diamondback
• lumberjack
• maniac
• paperback
• piggyback
• quarterback
• saddleback

Kids Definition

comeback

noun

come·​back ˈkəm-ˌbak 

1

: retort entry 2

2

: a return to a former position or condition (as of health, power, popularity, or prosperity) : recovery