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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
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Matt Blunt, head of the American Automotive Policy Council, said the industry agrees with Trump's push for domestic manufacturing but warned that supply chain changes take time and broad tariffs could backfire.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Apr. 2025 -
Phoenix will now enter an offseason filled with uncertainty and their shrewd moves have ultimately come to backfire.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The game had barely started when Bentaleb abruptly stopped running, sat down and then collapsed on the ground.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
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But, as ballots were being counted, government authorities announced that the electoral system had collapsed.—
Stephania Taladrid,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The crop can be harvested at anytime but most leave the bulbs in the ground until the tops decline and flop over.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Apr. 2025
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The Bali project seems to have flopped, reportedly leaving local construction workers in the lurch.—
Kyle Khan-Mullins,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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