fight back
phrasal 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
For six days, gay men and women, transgender people, bikers, street kids and others fed up with police harassment fought back.
—
Michael Collins, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
The Lakers, too, kept fighting back, getting to within 113-110 on a Hachimura basket.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The situation comes to a head when Nico does try to fight back.
—Adelle Waldman, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Intolerance had infiltrated the sport, and football decided to fight back.
—Colin Millar, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fight 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.
Michael Collins, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
The Lakers, too, kept fighting back, getting to within 113-110 on a Hachimura basket.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The situation comes to a head when Nico does try to fight back.
—Adelle Waldman, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Intolerance had infiltrated the sport, and football decided to fight back.
—Colin Millar, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fight back
Cite this Entry
“Fight back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fight%20back. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
