return fire
noun
: the firing of a weapon to counter a shooter's shot
The suspect started shooting and was wounded by the return fire of the police.
Examples of return fire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
North Korea has reacted to past South Korean loudspeaker broadcasts and civilian balloon activities by firing rounds across the border, prompting South Korea to return fire, according to South Korea.
—
Hyung-Jin Kim, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 June 2024
Biden recently authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to return fire against Russian forces attacking them near the Kharkiv region.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 6 June 2024
Murphy also managed to shoot Jensen before he was killed by officers’ return fire, police said.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2024
In another sensitive development, the Israeli military reported a rare attack near the Israel-Gaza border, saying a squad of Palestinian fighters killed a soldier and three of them were killed in return fire.
—Nidal Al-Mughrabi and James MacKenzie, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2024
Prosecutors said police did not return fire at any point.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 21 May 2024
Sirens wail and gunshots pop in rapid succession in the background of the five-minute livestream as the two officers try to shield themselves behind the car and return fire.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 3 May 2024
By Israel’s account, the destruction began after Hamas gunmen refused to surrender and started shooting at the Israeli forces, prompting them to return fire.
—Patrick Kingsley Avishag Shaar-Yashuv, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
This strategy was employed by SWAT to return fire, retreat from the residence, and deploy nonlethal options.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
Hyung-Jin Kim, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 June 2024
Biden recently authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to return fire against Russian forces attacking them near the Kharkiv region.
—Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 6 June 2024
Murphy also managed to shoot Jensen before he was killed by officers’ return fire, police said.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2024
In another sensitive development, the Israeli military reported a rare attack near the Israel-Gaza border, saying a squad of Palestinian fighters killed a soldier and three of them were killed in return fire.
—Nidal Al-Mughrabi and James MacKenzie, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2024
Prosecutors said police did not return fire at any point.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 21 May 2024
Sirens wail and gunshots pop in rapid succession in the background of the five-minute livestream as the two officers try to shield themselves behind the car and return fire.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 3 May 2024
By Israel’s account, the destruction began after Hamas gunmen refused to surrender and started shooting at the Israeli forces, prompting them to return fire.
—Patrick Kingsley Avishag Shaar-Yashuv, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
This strategy was employed by SWAT to return fire, retreat from the residence, and deploy nonlethal options.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'return fire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near return fire
Cite this Entry
“Return fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/return%20fire. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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