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 New York garage band originally released this song to strike back when MTV was playing an endless stream of UK bands.
—
Brett Milano, Boston Herald, 26 June 2025
The enemy gets a vote My guess is that Iran may want to strike back harder this time, partly to try to reestablish deterrence, but its capacity to do so may be more limited.
—Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 24 June 2025
Should Iran strike back, this could escalate very quickly.
—ABC News, 22 June 2025
After striking back on Friday night, Iran launched a new wave of strikes toward Israel on Saturday morning.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for strike back
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Brett Milano, Boston Herald, 26 June 2025
The enemy gets a vote My guess is that Iran may want to strike back harder this time, partly to try to reestablish deterrence, but its capacity to do so may be more limited.
—Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 24 June 2025
Should Iran strike back, this could escalate very quickly.
—ABC News, 22 June 2025
After striking back on Friday night, Iran launched a new wave of strikes toward Israel on Saturday morning.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 14 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 4 Jul. 2025.
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