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

Recent Examples on the Web

The European Union has made little obvious progress toward any agreement, and has unveiled plans to hit back at America if no deal is reached. —Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 18 May 2025

Until any truce is brokered, China still faces an effective U.S. tariff rate of 145% and has hit back with its own duties of up to 125%. —Joe Murphy, NBC news, 11 May 2025

Continue reading … ‘NO APOLOGIES’ – Bernie Sanders hits back at criticism over six-figure spending on private jets. —FOXNews.com, 8 May 2025

Instead, the Chinese leader matched Trump tariff for tariff and hit back at the United States—for instance, with export restrictions on rare-earth metals that the American tech industry relies on. —Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 8 May 2025

Rhymes for hit back

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