hit back
verb
hit back; hitting back; hits back
informal
: to attack or criticize someone after being attacked or criticized by them
—often + at
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.
The Senator hit back at his critics.
Examples of hit back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Once Lorenzen was out of the game, the Mets hit back-to-back singles off right-hander Jaden Lee in the eighth. —
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026 But Campusano’s two-out double in the second and Bogaerts’ one-out single in the fourth were the Padres’ only hits over four-plus innings until Manny Machado and Bogaerts hit back-to-back two-out singles in the sixth to get Sugano out of the game. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026 Isaac Gonzalez and Ricky Shelton hit back-to-back, 1-out singles in the top of the eighth inning for Springtown (19-5-2 overall, 11-0 district) and Gonzalez scored the go-ahead run after Cash Smith hit a hard grounder to first base. —Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026 Albies and Harris hit back-to-back RBI singles in the sixth and Smith followed with an RBI on a fielder's choice to make it 7-3. —CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hit back
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026 But Campusano’s two-out double in the second and Bogaerts’ one-out single in the fourth were the Padres’ only hits over four-plus innings until Manny Machado and Bogaerts hit back-to-back two-out singles in the sixth to get Sugano out of the game. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2026 Isaac Gonzalez and Ricky Shelton hit back-to-back, 1-out singles in the top of the eighth inning for Springtown (19-5-2 overall, 11-0 district) and Gonzalez scored the go-ahead run after Cash Smith hit a hard grounder to first base. —Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026 Albies and Harris hit back-to-back RBI singles in the sixth and Smith followed with an RBI on a fielder's choice to make it 7-3. —CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hit back
Cite this Entry
“Hit back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/hit%20back. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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