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
As retaliation, Beijing hit back by imposing fresh curbs on exports of germanium and gallium and other materials elements essential for making semiconductors and other high tech equipment.
—
Wayne Chang, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024
In Trump’s first term, China and other countries hit back by raising tariffs on sensitive American farm goods, including soybeans and wine.
—Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024
Retaliatory Tariffs: Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, hit back at Trump’s vow to impose tariffs on all products from Mexico, signaling that her country was prepared to respond with retaliatory tariffs of its own.
—Eric Lipton, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Russia has begun hitting back following Kyiv's latest strikes, firing an intercontinental ballistic missile into Ukraine for the first time, targeting the city of Dnipro.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
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Wayne Chang, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024
In Trump’s first term, China and other countries hit back by raising tariffs on sensitive American farm goods, including soybeans and wine.
—Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024
Retaliatory Tariffs: Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, hit back at Trump’s vow to impose tariffs on all products from Mexico, signaling that her country was prepared to respond with retaliatory tariffs of its own.
—Eric Lipton, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Russia has begun hitting back following Kyiv's latest strikes, firing an intercontinental ballistic missile into Ukraine for the first time, targeting the city of Dnipro.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hit back
Dictionary Entries Near hit back
Cite this Entry
“Hit back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%20back. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
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