fight back

phrasal verb

fought back; fighting back; fights back

1

: to attack or try to defeat someone who is attacking or trying to defeat oneself

We can't just let them make these accusations against us. We need to fight back!

2

: to make a new effort against an opponent

They fell behind early in the game, but they were able to fight back and tie the score in the second half.

Examples of fight back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Nonetheless, the way Musk chooses to fight back against bureaucratic bloat often seems to many to be hubristic and reckless. —Eric MacK, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025

Even if Mahnaz tries to fight back legally, the courts are completely stacked against her, leaving no other choice but to break the law herself. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025

That day, a 16-year-old Jim fought back tears while apologizing to the team for his father’s actions. —Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 22 May 2025

Aaron fights back images of his father with a head wound or broken bones, or worse. —Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 19 May 2025

Rhymes for fight back

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback