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 + at
The Senator hit back at his critics.

Examples of hit back in a Sentence

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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.
Raducanu trailed 4-0 in the first set against Muchová but soon hit back to make it 5-4. George Ramsay, CNN, 19 Feb. 2025 Slowly started hitting back in December and started building up. John Laghezza, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025 China hit back with a 15% tariff on imports from the United States. Jamie L. Lareau, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025 What to watch: The order might not just look at tariffs: Trump called out Europe's value added tax as a measure the U.S. should hit back at, raising the prospect of a trade battle with the continent. Courtenay Brown, Axios, 13 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hit back

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“Hit back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%20back. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

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