strike back
phrasal verb
struck back; struck back also stricken back; striking back; strikes back
: to try to hurt someone who has hurt one or treated one badly
When he called her lazy, she immediately struck back by calling him fat.
—often + atHe angrily struck back at his critics.
Examples of strike back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has warned that Tehran is prepared to strike back harder if attacked again, following last month's ceasefire with Israel.
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Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 July 2025
When Trump announced new tariffs this year, America’s major trading partners were quick to strike back with their own levies, although the US then agreed a temporary truce with China and the European Union.
—Olesya Dmitracova, CNN Money, 9 July 2025
The administration is keeping an eye on other potential Iranian efforts to strike back.
—Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 22 June 2025
This is throwing the richest man in the world who has enormous power, has a huge platform, has a lot of means and methods to strike back.
—Steve Inskeep, NPR, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for strike back
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Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 July 2025
When Trump announced new tariffs this year, America’s major trading partners were quick to strike back with their own levies, although the US then agreed a temporary truce with China and the European Union.
—Olesya Dmitracova, CNN Money, 9 July 2025
The administration is keeping an eye on other potential Iranian efforts to strike back.
—Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 22 June 2025
This is throwing the richest man in the world who has enormous power, has a huge platform, has a lot of means and methods to strike back.
—Steve Inskeep, NPR, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for strike back
Cite this Entry
“Strike back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20back. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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