boomerang

noun

boo·​mer·​ang ˈbü-mə-ˌraŋ 

1

: a bent or angular throwing club typically flat on one side and rounded on the other so that it soars or curves in flight

especially : one designed to return near the thrower

2

: an act or utterance that backfires on its originator

boomerang intransitive verb

Examples of boomerang in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Brooke’s backslide Brooke Schofield’s boomerang from TikTok hero to villain would give even the most hardy of drivers whiplash. —Kate Lindsay, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2024

The boomerang that Lenahan had tossed had returned to the United States, even if the government did not explicitly acknowledge it. —Caroline Bettinger-López, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2018

Could attacks on Walz’s 24 years of military service boomerang on the Republican standard bearer? —Dan Merica, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024

After a 138-foot drop, the track had a dizzying combo of two vertical loops, a 200-foot corkscrew, a boomerang turn (something like a bow-tie shape) and a 360-degree helix, churning the stomachs of 46 million riders. —Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 16 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Dharuk (Australian aboriginal language of the Port Jackson area) bumarinʸ

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing boomerang

• boomerang child

Kids Definition

boomerang

1 of 2 noun

boo·​mer·​ang

ˈbü-mə-ˌraŋ

: a curved club that can be thrown so as to return to the thrower

boomerang

2 of 2 verb

: backfire entry 2 sense 2

Etymology

the Indigenous word for this club in Australia