fight back

intransitive-verb
UK: /ˌfaɪt ˈbæk/
US: /ˌfaɪt ˈbæk/

  1. To defend yourself or someone else when attacked.

    1. I will fight back if they hit me.
    2. The smaller country needed to fight back against the invading forces to protect its citizens.

  2. To resist strongly an attack or something that causes harm.

    1. She will fight back against cancer.
    2. The company has to fight back against the negative publicity or it will lose customers.

  3. To respond to criticism or accusations with your own arguments.

    1. He did fight back at his critics.
    2. The politician decided to fight back against the allegations of corruption with a detailed press conference.

Synonyms

resist retaliate defend counterattack
fight back noun

  1. An act of defending yourself or resisting an attack.

    1. We saw a big fight back from them.
    2. The team staged a spirited fight back in the second half but ultimately lost the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "fight back" in English means: To defend yourself or someone else when attacked., To resist strongly an attack or something that causes harm., To respond to criticism or accusations with your own arguments..

The phonetic transcription of "fight back" is /ˌfaɪt ˈbæk/ in British English and /ˌfaɪt ˈbæk/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "fight back": resist, retaliate, defend, counterattack.

Example usage of "fight back": "I will fight back if they hit me.". More examples on the page.