as in to backfire
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
the well-meaning gesture boomeranged, since he ended up being offended by it
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Recent Examples of boomerang
The idea of Miami boomeranging from 7-10 to make the playoffs next year and maybe even end that playoff-victory drought is not be crazy.
—
Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
The wild part is how quickly that creator theme boomeranged back at us in real time.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
Finding a way to bring value to others always boomerangs in some way.
—Victoria Thomas, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
The most blatant of those on Sunday was Kelce converting a great opportunity into a play that boomeranged the other way.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boomerang
Greg Cote
january 26, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026
The wild part is how quickly that creator theme boomeranged back at us in real time.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
Finding a way to bring value to others always boomerangs in some way.
—Victoria Thomas, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
The most blatant of those on Sunday was Kelce converting a great opportunity into a play that boomeranged the other way.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boomerang
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
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The Mavericks traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024-25 season, getting Anthony Davis as the centerpiece in a deal that backfired badly on the franchise.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
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Indicting Castro as a way to pressure the Cuban government into a deal may well backfire, Zúñiga said.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
20 May 2026
Verb
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The weekend, for all its promise, tends to collapse into logistics, half-finished to-do lists and the quiet companionship of two people watching the same screen.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
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Intellectual humility — the willingness to update your beliefs when the machine pushes back, rather than digging in or collapsing entirely.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Verb
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That flopped, as have all subsequent attempts to protect nature permanently and on a large scale through the use of markets.—
John Reid,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
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Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan, Brad Stevens, Fred Hoiberg, John Calipari, Tim Floyd, Lon Kruger, Mike Montgomery, Leonard Hamilton all left college to try the NBA, and most flopped.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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