as in collapses
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 boomerangs
Finding a way to bring value to others always boomerangs in some way.
—
Victoria Thomas, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
Victoria Thomas, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerangs
Verb
-
When borrowing dries up, the scheme collapses.—
Les Rubin,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
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In his poems, letters lose limbs, words are mined, and grammar collapses under shelling.—
Alex Averbuch,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fortunately for shareholders, the stock grants come with a feature similar to equity options that somewhat reduces Musk’s payday, especially in a case like the one above where the plan flops.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
29 Nov. 2025
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Amina blows her mom a kiss and then flops down in her crib, pretending to be asleep.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Too Early Starting seeds indoors is exciting, but doing so too early often backfires.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
22 Feb. 2026
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But the plan backfires because no one who doesn’t personally know Eric and Harper can understand the peculiar strains of ambition and self-destruction that fuel them.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boomerangs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerangs. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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