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
The first uncertainty is how Iran will strike back at the United States.
—
Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 24 June 2025
Iranian officials had promised to strike back after an American bombing raid on Saturday hit three nuclear program sites inside Iran.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 23 June 2025
The more mobile launchers that Israel can destroy, the less able Iran will be to strike back.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 16 June 2025
These are some of the options that Iran already has prepared for striking back.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for strike back
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Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 24 June 2025
Iranian officials had promised to strike back after an American bombing raid on Saturday hit three nuclear program sites inside Iran.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 23 June 2025
The more mobile launchers that Israel can destroy, the less able Iran will be to strike back.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 16 June 2025
These are some of the options that Iran already has prepared for striking back.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 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 24 Jul. 2025.
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