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 -
An interference attempt by El Grande Americano backfired as Mysterio picked up the win over Creed.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The quake also caused a skyscraper in Bangkok, Thailand, to collapse.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
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Dramatic videos show buildings collapsing and swaying in Thailand. 4:09 A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled much of Southeast Asia on Friday, resulting in mounting casualties and flattened skyscrapers from Myanmar to Thailand.—
Mark Osborne,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Her cookery show seems to have bombed and the previous podcast deal with Spotify flopped, so the desire to succeed this time is weighing heavily on her shoulders.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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If the company’s stock flops, your reward flops too.—
Anatoly Iofe,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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