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
Austinites online strike back with 'sketchy' irony The backlash was swift.
—
Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
First, Iran could go nasty but narrow, striking back against Israel but avoiding U.S. bases or other regional targets.
—Hal Brands, Twin Cities, 16 June 2025
But the hawks soon struck back, uniting around a demand that any deal should not allow Iran to pursue any nuclear enrichment whatsoever — a demand Trump soon echoed.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 23 June 2025
How Iran might strike back, by Colin P. Clarke, guest essayist, The New York Times.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for strike back
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Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
First, Iran could go nasty but narrow, striking back against Israel but avoiding U.S. bases or other regional targets.
—Hal Brands, Twin Cities, 16 June 2025
But the hawks soon struck back, uniting around a demand that any deal should not allow Iran to pursue any nuclear enrichment whatsoever — a demand Trump soon echoed.
—Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 23 June 2025
How Iran might strike back, by Colin P. Clarke, guest essayist, The New York Times.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 23 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 19 Aug. 2025.
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