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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of boomeranged
Mary, our thirtysomething narrator, has recently boomeranged back to her hometown (York) after experiencing a break with reality that may or may not be psychotic.
—
Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
The ball skidded though the green, banged off the Truist fencing and boomeranged right back into the same bunker.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 May 2026
Those lower judges eventually rejected his arguments, and Reed boomeranged back to the justices.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 25 Mar. 2026
The wild part is how quickly that creator theme boomeranged back at us in real time.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
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
Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
The ball skidded though the green, banged off the Truist fencing and boomeranged right back into the same bunker.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 10 May 2026
Those lower judges eventually rejected his arguments, and Reed boomeranged back to the justices.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 25 Mar. 2026
The wild part is how quickly that creator theme boomeranged back at us in real time.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomeranged
Verb
-
On May 9, 1873—Black Friday—stocks collapsed, and fights broke out on the floor of the exchange, which was forced to close.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Like how the 1964 claims of a North Vietnamese attack in the Gulf of Tonkin collapsed.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Replay shows the defender never made meaningful contact and the offensive player overly-exaggerated the contact (flopped).—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
-
That fad, alas, had run its course, and the Bicentennial Pet Rock flopped.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
That campaign largely backfired, as USA TODAY previously reported.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
This strategic wait, however, backfired as the NBA simultaneously overhauled its draft lottery system.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boomeranged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomeranged. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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