boomeranging

verb

present participle of boomerang
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomeranging
  1. collapsing
  2. flopping
  3. backfiring
Verb
  • The family’s attorney says Mayich struggled through a military-style practice with little rest or water, showing clear distress before collapsing.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Rodríguez Verona said survivors were disoriented and dehydrated, with many collapsing or vomiting upon reaching land.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of collapsing
Verb
  • Nurses are fainting on the wards, children are flopping onto their desks at school.
    — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The video shows the peacock, referred to by some in the neighborhood as Sugar, seemingly flopping around then collapsing.
    — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of flopping
Verb
  • The bigoted rhetoric against Muslim American politicians is backfiring, news and culture critic Lorraine Ali writes.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Yet, on so many fronts, Trump’s assertion of that power appears to be backfiring.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of backfiring

Browse Nearby Words

boomeranged
boomeranging
boomerangs
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Cite this Entry

“Boomeranging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomeranging. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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