came back

verb

past tense of come back
1
as in recovered
to become healthy and strong again after illness or weakness she's slowly coming back after being in a coma

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bounced (back)
to regain a former or normal state the American bald eagle was once nearly extinct but has come back strong

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in responded
to speak or write in reaction to a question or to another reaction he came back with another one of his smart remarks

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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 came back Guidance for next year is softer, with revenue growth targeted near 13% against 26% this year, but the seats came back. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026 Walker came back on for two more before Mahomes went to the other field. — Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2026 An Orland Park native who is now a director and choreographer based in New York, Stancato came back home to help launch the Snowballs after his wife saw an ad for the Bananas-like team and thought his eclectic background would be a perfect fit. — Chris Placek, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 Pearsall came back to play five games before missing the wild-card playoff game in Philadelphia because of knee and ankle injuries. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 And customers who put off buying cars for the pandemic years due to inventory shortages at dealerships and inflation came back to sticker shock. — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 26 July 2026 Her bloodwork came back normal, with the exception of anemia — common in pregnancy. — Erica Sloan, Washington Post, 25 July 2026 This year's entertainer was mentalist Oz Pearlman, who came back for the redo dinner. — Fritz Farrow, ABC News, 25 July 2026 While its roots go back to Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood in the 1930s, tiki culture blossomed after World War II, when American soldiers came back from the Pacific theater with stories of tropical islands. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for came back
  1. recovered
  2. snapped back
  3. responded
  4. improved
  5. rebounded
  6. replied
  7. rallied
  8. answered
Verb
  • The researchers recovered usable DNA from 95 historical specimens spanning nearly 140 years and compared them with modern samples collected in the 2000s, and the results painted a sobering picture.
    — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • On Sunday, the boat was recovered by authorities from New York Harbor.
    — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of recovered
Verb
  • As soon as the fireworks ended, the nation’s focus snapped back to the war with Iran, the upcoming midterm elections, and World Cup soccer.
    — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 18 July 2026
  • The Dream, however, snapped back to finish the job and put themselves back in the win column for the first time since June 22.
    — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of snapped back
Verb
  • Indiana responded with one of its best halves of the season, shooting 59% from the field and 79% on three-pointers on its way to a 106-92 victory over the New York Liberty.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Deputies and the California Highway Patrol responded to the area to help BNSF Railway Company officers who encountered people allegedly stealing from rail cars.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of responded
Verb
  • The red-hot Red Sox won their eighth straight and 10th of 11 and improved to 31-5 in their last 36 games.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Research has shown a link between free meal programs and learning, including a 2021 Brookings Institution study that found math performance improved in school districts that qualified for the National School Lunch program.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of improved
Verb
  • Fatal overdoses dropped nationwide in 2024, but partially rebounded in Colorado and neighboring Southwestern states last year.
    — Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Ronald Reagan also faced Hoover comparisons during the recession of 1981 and 1982, but escaped the association when the economy rebounded.
    — Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebounded
Verb
  • In those households, Eimbcke witnessed immigrant parents speaking Spanish to their children who replied to them in English.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, company spokesperson Maggie Shiels replied with a statement.
    — Aaron Glantz, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of replied
Verb
  • The 18-year-old rallied from fourth place and a seven-tenths deficit to secure the victory on Sunday, joining an elite group of athletes like Simone Biles with back-to-back all-around wins.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Cliven Bundy, the family patriarch, rallied hundreds of supporters to block the roundup of his cattle, sparking a days long armed standoff between law enforcement and the Bundy group near the town of Bunkerville, outside of Las Vegas.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of rallied
Verb
  • His impact cannot be measured simply in years of service, calls answered, or accomplishments.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The man composes his responses with the help of a manual that instructs him on which incoming string of Chinese characters should be answered with which other string of Chinese characters.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of answered

Browse Nearby Words

came around
came back
came by
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Cite this Entry

“Came back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/came%20back. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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