return fire
noun
: the firing of a weapon to counter a shooter's shot
The suspect started shooting and was wounded by the return fire of the police.
Examples of return fire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Officers did not return fire and chased the car, police said.
—
Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2024
Secret Service snipers almost immediately spotted Crooks and killed him with return fire.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 15 July 2024
Williams was struck by return fire from a rival gang member minutes after the attack, and King traded shots with the shooter as their hit erupted into a gunfight, according to Clark.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 2 Aug. 2024
The suspect attempted to shoot again, prompting a service member on guard at the gate to pull out their gun and return fire.
—CBS News, 17 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for return fire 
Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2024
Secret Service snipers almost immediately spotted Crooks and killed him with return fire.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 15 July 2024
Williams was struck by return fire from a rival gang member minutes after the attack, and King traded shots with the shooter as their hit erupted into a gunfight, according to Clark.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 2 Aug. 2024
The suspect attempted to shoot again, prompting a service member on guard at the gate to pull out their gun and return fire.
—CBS News, 17 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for return fire
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'return fire.' 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
“Return fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/return%20fire. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
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