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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Just don't try anything like these pranks from companies that backfired in spectacular ways.—
Joe Mutascio,
IndyStar,
1 Apr. 2026
-
But avoiding unpleasant internal experience can backfire.—
J. David Creswell,
The Conversation,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The innermost rim formed later, when a mountain at the crater’s center collapsed.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
4 Apr. 2026
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Eventually, Pearlene collapsed and died inside a makeshift bathroom in the family’s trailer, which had no running water or electricity.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Why Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis initially flopped.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
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After beating Atlanta last Friday without Jaylen Brown and Charlotte on Sunday without Brown and Derrick White, Boston flopped in a rematch with the Hawks, losing 112-102 without a crew of contributors headlined by a resting Jayson Tatum.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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