to fight back
188
3.3
- phrasal verb
- /faɪt bæk/
:
defenderse
- When millions of people stand up and fight back, we will not be denied.
- ways to fight back
- try to fight back
- capable of fighting back
What are the best ways to fight back against NSA surveillance?
- What are the best ways to fight back against NSA surveillance?
- I mean, or you could fight back saying that you must be joking.
- If you do not fight back, you will be a victim.
- They can't fight back, they can't escape and they can't change the situation.
- It's, it's more like soft power and people are fighting back.
- Like, like, what are we going to gain if we fight back?
- You don't have the luxury of fighting back.
- So my union, the Writers Guild of America, fought back.
- And we really want to know how can we fight back?
- Like many doctors asked me, how did you fight back?
- I certainly didn't have the confidence to fight back.
Examples
-
When faced with unfair criticism, it's important to fight back instead of staying silent.
-
How do you in your own world fight back against all the negativity that we see?
-
If you do not fight back, you will be a victim.
-
I got to use all the agency that I have to fight back and fight beyond.
-
You got to fight back!
-
It's our way of fighting back.
-
So long as you stand up and fight back, there is always hope.
Fiction book (1991) -
And Dawn is absolutely right to fight back.
-
Come on, let's fight back.
-
And, you know, a lot of people fight back against me and refuse to sign my petition.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To try hard to oppose or overcome something difficult
∞
2.9
To be against something and try to stop it
691
2.8
To speak up to support a person or idea when others criticize it
293
3.2
To defend yourself when someone treats you unfairly
190
4.3
To respond by acting against something
105
7.3
To hurt someone because they hurt you
67
4.1
To reply quickly and strongly to a remark
51
3.7
To keep away an attack, illness, or strong unwanted feeling
46
5.4
Reply rudely to someone in charge like a teacher or boss
34
4.9
To fight back after someone attacks or hurts you
22
3.7
To resist a person or rule that treats people unfairly
19
6.4
To reply quickly and sharply in a clever or angry way
18
4.8
To answer quickly in a sharp, angry way
14
6.0
To force someone or something to move away
12
4.9
To attack back after an enemy attacks to stop their advance
3
7.9
To drive back an attack or enemy force
1
6.9
To reply loudly and angrily to someone who insults you
1
7.5
To attack back after someone attacks you
1
9.0
To reply quickly and sharply in speech or as a counterattack
1
9.9
Angrily criticize someone or something
1
9.6
To accuse someone who blamed you
To reply by asking the other person to prove their claim
Defend your ideas or what you want when others disagree
Antonyms
How Forceful
12
4.9
188
3.3
97
3.9
311
2.2
27
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to resist or retaliate' is directly derivable from combining 'fight' (to resist/oppose) with 'back' as a directional/reciprocal particle meaning 'in return' or 'against', yielding 'fight in return'. This verb+particle compositional pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will very likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrasal verb fight back comes from the image of someone who is attacked and then hits or pushes back at the attacker, with fight showing the action and back showing the returning action. So it now means 'to resist' or 'retaliate' against an attack, criticism, or challenge.