1
as in recovered
to become healthy and strong again after illness or weakness
she's slowly coming back after being in a coma
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of came back
Shadow went out and came back later with some fluff — soft material such as pine needles, moss or grass — to warm and cushion the egg.
—
Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
The team set out to find 30 species and came back having rediscovered 21 of them.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
Then Dustin came back and slept on his kitchen floor.
—Ellen Crean, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
If James came back to Cleveland for a third and final stint, his farewell tour would be with a team expected to compete for a championship.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Her results came back negative, but the nurse practitioner assumed some kind of infection was at play and prescribed antibiotics.
—Julia Sullivan, SELF, 4 Feb. 2026
The committee in October voted 3-1 to advance the highly contentious proposal, but on the condition that when the measure came back, there would be more detailed analysis.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
There was a big one that then came back.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Jan. 2026
Even with the injuries to Gabe Landeskog and Devon Toews, the Avalanche came back to beat Carolina and then lost two close games to Florida and Tampa Bay.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
The team set out to find 30 species and came back having rediscovered 21 of them.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
Then Dustin came back and slept on his kitchen floor.
—Ellen Crean, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
If James came back to Cleveland for a third and final stint, his farewell tour would be with a team expected to compete for a championship.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Her results came back negative, but the nurse practitioner assumed some kind of infection was at play and prescribed antibiotics.
—Julia Sullivan, SELF, 4 Feb. 2026
The committee in October voted 3-1 to advance the highly contentious proposal, but on the condition that when the measure came back, there would be more detailed analysis.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
There was a big one that then came back.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Jan. 2026
Even with the injuries to Gabe Landeskog and Devon Toews, the Avalanche came back to beat Carolina and then lost two close games to Florida and Tampa Bay.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for came back
Verb
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The bodies of the nine deceased skiers were recovered by rescue teams on Friday and Saturday after avalanche mitigation.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Dent finished with 30 points, while the Trojans never recovered.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Following the strikes Saturday, Iran responded with an unprecedented wave of strikes across the Middle East, targeting several countries that host US military bases, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
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Derrick White hit back-to-back 3s to wake up the building, and after Brooklyn responded again, Baylor Scheierman buried Boston’s fifth 3-pointer in five tries to push the Celtics back up six.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Lilley said the bill Graves helped write needs to be improved.—
Josh Funk,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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While these returns aren't quite as lucrative as what was available in 2023 or 2024, they're still exponentially improved from what was available at the start of the decade.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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New England’s run defense was among the league’s best early in the season, then fell off, but has snapped back with the return of Milton Williams.—
Sam Farmer,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
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Then, with scant margin for error, the Rams (13-5) snapped back into winning form.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has not yet replied to Dateline’s request for the records.—
Veronica Fulton,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Means replied that her views were being misrepresented.—
Elizabeth Cooney,
STAT,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Around 2016, as state and local budgets rebounded from the Great Recession, demand for fire trucks again increased to around 4,000 or 5,000 annual orders in the United States.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
26 Feb. 2026
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Shares of the two payment giants rebounded slightly Thursday.—
Allie Canal,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rookie Matt Savoie then converted a rebound late in a power play for his 10th career goal, but Beckett Sennecke answered 46 seconds later with a slick wrist shot for his 19th goal — tops among NHL rookies.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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Guenther answered right back 60 seconds later with a snap shot from between the hash marks.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Against the Suns, the Lakers rallied from 12 points down in the fourth quarter after Doncic went to work.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
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Japan’s Nikkei 225 has rallied 17% year to date, while the Stoxx Europe 600 is up 7%, underscoring a sharp rotation away from American equities.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Came back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/came%20back. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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