1
as in retorts
a quick witty response
always ready with a comeback for every insult
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in responses
something spoken or written in reaction especially to a question
regardless of the question posed by the prosecutor, the witness had a plausible comeback
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 comebacks
Hart will, however, address the pair of 20-point comebacks the Knicks pulled off en route to the conference finals for the first time in a quarter-century, a sequence of bizarre events many called a fluke.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
Then came one of the greatest comebacks in recent college basketball history.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
The locker room environment is fertile for comebacks, according to players.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 30 Mar. 2026
To get there, the Huskies needed one of the biggest comebacks in regional final history.
—Noah Trister, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2026
Former University of Kansas golfer Gary Woodland on Sunday could conceivably complete one of the greatest comebacks in not only PGA Tour history, but the history of professional sports.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2026
The Oscar marked one of Hollywood’s most celebrated comebacks.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
During this winning streak, the Cavs nearly blew a 29-point lead to the Bulls and had to mount comebacks to beat the Bucks (without Giannis Antetokounmpo) and Pelicans.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The Lakers won five consecutive clutch time games before Monday, three requiring late comebacks.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
Then came one of the greatest comebacks in recent college basketball history.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
The locker room environment is fertile for comebacks, according to players.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 30 Mar. 2026
To get there, the Huskies needed one of the biggest comebacks in regional final history.
—Noah Trister, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2026
Former University of Kansas golfer Gary Woodland on Sunday could conceivably complete one of the greatest comebacks in not only PGA Tour history, but the history of professional sports.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2026
The Oscar marked one of Hollywood’s most celebrated comebacks.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
During this winning streak, the Cavs nearly blew a 29-point lead to the Bulls and had to mount comebacks to beat the Bucks (without Giannis Antetokounmpo) and Pelicans.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The Lakers won five consecutive clutch time games before Monday, three requiring late comebacks.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comebacks
Noun
-
LeBron James didn’t hold back from his retorts over his late-in-the-game elbow injury Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The hearing also lacked contentious partisan moments, but there were some sharp retorts.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Such responses are activated when animals are confronted with imminent danger.—
Helen Dennis,
Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Student docents are available during visiting hours to answer questions and transcripts of survivor responses are shown as part of the exhibit.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Fleming replies, starting to unbutton as well.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The aim is to enable adaptive dialogue rather than preprogrammed replies, reports Robot Beats (RB).—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Celtics won by 32 and Philly will be searching for answers.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Hundreds of protesters filled the streets of Pilsen on Sunday afternoon, chanting for justice and answers in a fatal hit-and-run that has remained unsolved for nine months.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
April 20 – May 20 The day opens with tension, so don’t rush your reactions.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Based on the composition of CAIs, researchers assumed that their condensation reactions occurred across millions of years.—
Javier Barbuzano,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Comebacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comebacks. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
