hit back
phrasal verb
hit back; hitting back; hits back
informal
: to attack or criticize someone after being attacked or criticized by them
Weary of her rival's accusations, the candidate hit back with an aggressive ad campaign.
The team hit back with a touchdown of their own.
—often + atThe Senator hit back at his critics.
Examples of hit back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump, who mostly kept his cool for most of the 90-minute clash, hit back by saying Biden could face criminal charges himself for mishandling the situation at the southern border.
—
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 June 2024
The Biden campaign hit back at the editorial board’s critique on Friday evening.
—Brian Rokus, CNN, 28 June 2024
But the offensive is putting enormous strain on Ukrainian defenses, and the rules hampering Ukraine’s ability to hit back became harder to justify.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 5 June 2024
The Democratic leader was hitting back after Donalds made his controversial remarks Tuesday at a Black Republican outreach event in Philadelphia.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 5 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for hit back 
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 June 2024
The Biden campaign hit back at the editorial board’s critique on Friday evening.
—Brian Rokus, CNN, 28 June 2024
But the offensive is putting enormous strain on Ukrainian defenses, and the rules hampering Ukraine’s ability to hit back became harder to justify.
—Joshua Keating, Vox, 5 June 2024
The Democratic leader was hitting back after Donalds made his controversial remarks Tuesday at a Black Republican outreach event in Philadelphia.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 5 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for hit back
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hit back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Hit back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%20back. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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