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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Examples Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
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While hope is powerful, placing too much pressure on yourself—or a potential partner—can backfire.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
11 Jan. 2025 -
This suggests that Trump ought to be wary of tariff fights backfiring.—
Einav Rabinovitch-Fox / Made by History,
TIME,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Six months later, his rating had collapsed, to just 40 percent.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
15 Jan. 2025
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That are easy to hold during runs, collapse totally flat for travel, and come with straws for sipping?—
Alexis Berger,
SELF,
15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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If the main trunk of the jade has gotten wildly overgrown and is flopping over under its own weight, lop it off.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Jan. 2025
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Which leads us to Better Man’s bitterest irony: All anecdotal evidence suggests the movie flopped precisely because the Williams-as-mo-cap-chimp conceit was just too highbrow to put butts in seats.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near boomerang
Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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