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 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
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
-
The 175-foot-tall structure at the K West Reactor, roughly the height of a 17-story building, collapsed in seconds after explosives were triggered at its base.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2026
-
But as machines moved in, mining jobs dwindled and the local economy collapsed.—
Cecilia Vega,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He and most of the Cluely staff were flopped on a single sofa.—
Sam Kriss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
But the new uniforms flopped spectacularly upon their debut in spring training, with players complaining that the jerseys looked cheap, felt papery and that the names on the back were too small.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If the angle is right, there’s a resounding crack like the sound of a car that’s backfired.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Pegula’s decision to use underachieving receiver Keon Coleman as a ploy to defend Beane and shade the coaching staff backfired mightily.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boomeranged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomeranged. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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