as in collapses
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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerangs
Verb
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On recovery, the fan collapses just as quickly, reducing drag.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025 -
Just moments later, the robot slips on a carpet and collapses to the ground, only to spring back upright in less than a second.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When a truck backfires on the street outside her office, a colleague is spooked, but Ziva stays perfectly calm — a moment that gains added importance soon enough.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
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But just as everything falls into place, a work idea backfires, and the fallout cascades into heartbreak and career setbacks.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Boomerangs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerangs. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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