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
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hits back at Trump.
—
Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 7 Mar. 2025
New Kennedy Center leadership hits back at 'Hamilton' producers
Richard Grenell, the interim president of the Kennedy Center, hit back at Seller and Miranda on social media Wednesday.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025
In response, Beijing hit back with tariffs of up to 15 percent on a broad range of U.S. agricultural exports and expanded its export controls and restrictions to include about two dozen additional American companies.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
And occasionally, one of them gets hit back at 110 mph.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hit back
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.
Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 7 Mar. 2025
New Kennedy Center leadership hits back at 'Hamilton' producers
Richard Grenell, the interim president of the Kennedy Center, hit back at Seller and Miranda on social media Wednesday.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025
In response, Beijing hit back with tariffs of up to 15 percent on a broad range of U.S. agricultural exports and expanded its export controls and restrictions to include about two dozen additional American companies.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
And occasionally, one of them gets hit back at 110 mph.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hit back
Cite this Entry
“Hit back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%20back. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share