strike back

phrasal verb

struck back; struck back also stricken back; striking back; strikes back

: to try to hurt someone who has hurt one or treated one badly

When he called her lazy, she immediately struck back by calling him fat.

—often + at

He angrily struck back at his critics.

Examples of strike back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Pacers struck back in Game 3 in Indiana, winning on Andrew Nembhard’s improbable step-back 31-footer with 17.1 seconds remaining. —

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 20 May 2024 Sign up 'Our indefensible Mideast military outposts' Michael Brendan Dougherty at National Review The United States must strike back against whoever killed three Americans at a U.S. military outpost in Jordan, near the Syrian and Iraqi borders, writes Michael Brendan Dougherty at National Review. —

Harold Maass, theweek, 31 Jan. 2024 For a sit-in at a lunch counter, they were told, sit up straight, be courteous and don’t strike back. —

Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 10 June 2024 Israel struck back militarily, seeking to free the hostages freed and destroy Hamas' military capability, while causing the deaths of more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the United Nations. —

Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 3 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for strike back

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strike back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.