as in collapsed
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
the well-meaning gesture boomeranged, since he ended up being offended by it
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Recent Examples of boomeranged
The most blatant of those on Sunday was Kelce converting a great opportunity into a play that boomeranged the other way.
—
Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomeranged
Verb
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Also, two barns and one home were reportedly struck by lightning in Rogersville, Missouri, which started a small fire on the barn and partially collapsed the porch of the home.—
Shawnie Caslin Martucci,
ABC News,
18 Oct. 2025
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Some stars collapsed to the sea floor, dissolved into piles of goo.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And 95% of firms who have implemented AI pilots have flopped.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
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The film flopped theatrically when it was released in 1993, but became a cult classic and staple during the Halloween season and at drag shows.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The gambit backfired as voters looked to the extremes of the left and right for leadership, depriving Macron's governing centrists of a majority.—
John Toher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
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The gamble backfired and his centrist bloc lost seats to both extremes, leaving France with a three-way split parliament and a government that could not pass major legislation.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boomeranged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomeranged. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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