as in to backfire
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
the well-meaning gesture boomeranged, since he ended up being offended by it
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Examples Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
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Melendez’s position change, albeit brief, could have backfired for him.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025 -
Although specific reasons for absence might be confidential, not speaking out about a coworker who is absent often can backfire.—
Lieke ten Brummelhuis,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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According to a 2021 Government Accountability Office report, collapsing the D.C. office drove out the agency’s most experienced employees and more than doubled the number of vacancies.—
Frederick Reimers,
Outside Online,
27 Jan. 2025
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Because several portions of the building had collapsed, firefighters were attempting to subdue the blaze from outside, Baltimore County Fire Department Cpt.—
Todd Karpovich,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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If the main trunk of the jade has gotten wildly overgrown and is flopping over under its own weight, lop it off.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Jan. 2025
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Which leads us to Better Man’s bitterest irony: All anecdotal evidence suggests the movie flopped precisely because the Williams-as-mo-cap-chimp conceit was just too highbrow to put butts in seats.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near boomerang
Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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