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 + at
He angrily struck back at his critics.

Examples of strike back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Toronto struck back in the top of the fourth. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025 The Panthers struck back when Desir went on a 29-yard scamper to extend the lead to 14-6. Erik Anderson, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2025 The Bears recaptured the lead with a wide-open 54-yard TD reception from Ty Salas, but Birdville struck back with a 4-yard TD pass from Wells to Montoya to take a 21-20 lead into the break. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2025 But Indiana struck back in Game 4. Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for strike back

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Cite this Entry

“Strike back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20back. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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