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

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The other side: Democrats have spent nearly $9 million nationwide in an attempt to refute the GOP attacks or hit back at Republican opposition to broader LGBTQ rights. —

Jay R. Jordan, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024 Israel has refrained from hitting back so far, and traders have shifted focus to market fundamentals as a looming oil surplus is expected next year. —

Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2024 Washington is urging Israel to avoid hitting either energy or nuclear installations and has sent Israel sophisticated anti-ballistic missile defense weapons for if and when Iran hits back. —

Jason Ma, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2024 Initially, many ad blocker makers hit back at Google’s plans, and multiple delays followed. —

Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hit back