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
China struck back against the U.S. on Friday, raising its duties on American goods from 84% to 125%.
—
Hakyung Kim,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2025
In the bottom of that inning, Colorado struck back in an inning jump-started by Ryan McMahon’s double off the right-field wall.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2025
Tillis said that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick needs to have a plan for how to deal with the possibility of trading partners striking back with higher tariffs of their own, which could weigh heavily on the U.S. economy.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 4 Apr. 2025
China in turn struck back at Washington with retaliatory tariffs of up to 125% on U.S. imports.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for strike back
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Hakyung Kim,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2025
In the bottom of that inning, Colorado struck back in an inning jump-started by Ryan McMahon’s double off the right-field wall.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2025
Tillis said that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick needs to have a plan for how to deal with the possibility of trading partners striking back with higher tariffs of their own, which could weigh heavily on the U.S. economy.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 4 Apr. 2025
China in turn struck back at Washington with retaliatory tariffs of up to 125% on U.S. imports.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 16 Apr. 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 2 May. 2025.
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