as in collapsing
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 boomeranging
The idea of Miami boomeranging from 7-10 to make the playoffs next year and maybe even end that playoff-victory drought is not be crazy.
—
Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomeranging
Verb
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For an artist who has spent a lifetime collapsing the distance between art and life, this director’s cut is both summation and fresh invocation.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
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But behind the scenes the company was collapsing and ultimately declared bankruptcy.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The ponytails were flopping and the eyelashes were flapping at West Orange High on Saturday afternoon, but don’t think the girls participating in the first-ever Orlando All-American Exposure Camp weren’t just as intense as the boys from the morning session.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
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Waterfield's extra point was deflected, flopping low toward the uprights.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But what strikes me also is that this is backfiring.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, on the opposing sideline, Broncos coach Sean Payton came under fire for a fourth-down call that ended up backfiring.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boomeranging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomeranging. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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