fight back

verb

fought back; fighting back; fights back
1
: to attack or try to defeat someone who is attacking or trying to defeat oneself
We can't just let them make these accusations against us. We need to fight back!
2
: to make a new effort against an opponent
They fell behind early in the game, but they were able to fight back and tie the score in the second half.

Examples of fight back in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
How citizens are fighting back Concerned residents nationwide have also found other ways to push back. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 Williams fled to Havana in 1961 due to threats from the Ku Klux Klan and local authorities because of his support for the use of violence to fight back against racist oppression in the South. — Aaron Coy Moulton, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026 Room for Disagreement Hong, the left-wing candidate taking the most flack this week, sometimes fights back by questioning her critics’ credibility. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026 When the fandom gets pissed, the creator gets caught in the chaos and the corporation fights back, every side is plunged into a paranoid conspiracy. — Kyle MacNeill, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fight back

Rhymes for fight back

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Browse Nearby Words

fight a losing battle
fight back
fight back tears
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Cite this Entry

“Fight back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fight%20back. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on fight back

Nglish: Translation of fight back for Spanish Speakers

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