boomerang
noun
boo·mer·ang ˈbü-mə-ˌraŋ 
1
: a bent or angular throwing club typically flat on one side and rounded on the other so that it soars or curves in flight
especially : one designed to return near the thrower
2
: an act or utterance that backfires on its originator
boomerang intransitive verb
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Managers need to work on miscommunication with their teams to pave the way for a boomerang return. 
Chloe Berger, Fortune, 12 July 2022 This boss's final phase adds a precarious platforming element, as players must hop between mid-air platforms to avoid boomerang-pattern ice attacks while trying to aim as much return fire at its face as possible. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 30 June 2022 Unfortunately, such boomerang effects happen all the time. Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 20 May 2022 The new boomerang kids could change American views of living at home Still, whether farther-flung families is a desirable outcome, in and of itself, is difficult to say. Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 11 May 2022 The result was what scholars call a boomerang effect, meaning when an intervention produces an effect opposite to that intended. Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 20 May 2022 Jenner then featured her new bangs again in the next slide in her Story, which included a boomerang also filmed from the inside of a car. Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE.com, 4 Feb. 2022 And instead of rapier-thin thrusts to breach Ukraine’s borders, the Russian army and its separatist allies are now deployed along a contiguous front line shaped like a boomerang. Nabih Bulosstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2022 The boomerang effect will also likely hurt Democrats in this November's midterm elections as inflation eats away at the real earnings of voters. Jeffrey Sachs, CNN, 20 Apr. 2022 See More
Chloe Berger, Fortune, 12 July 2022 This boss's final phase adds a precarious platforming element, as players must hop between mid-air platforms to avoid boomerang-pattern ice attacks while trying to aim as much return fire at its face as possible. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 30 June 2022 Unfortunately, such boomerang effects happen all the time. Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 20 May 2022 The new boomerang kids could change American views of living at home Still, whether farther-flung families is a desirable outcome, in and of itself, is difficult to say. Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 11 May 2022 The result was what scholars call a boomerang effect, meaning when an intervention produces an effect opposite to that intended. Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 20 May 2022 Jenner then featured her new bangs again in the next slide in her Story, which included a boomerang also filmed from the inside of a car. Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE.com, 4 Feb. 2022 And instead of rapier-thin thrusts to breach Ukraine’s borders, the Russian army and its separatist allies are now deployed along a contiguous front line shaped like a boomerang. Nabih Bulosstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2022 The boomerang effect will also likely hurt Democrats in this November's midterm elections as inflation eats away at the real earnings of voters. Jeffrey Sachs, CNN, 20 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Dharuk (Australian aboriginal language of the Port Jackson area) bumarinʸ
First Known Use
1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing boomerang
Kids Definition
boomerang
noun
boo·mer·ang ˈbü-mə-ˌraŋ
: a curved club that can be thrown so as to return to the thrower
boomerangs
verb
as in flops
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
Relevance
- flops
- backfires
- collapses
- folds
- slumps
- flounders
- slips
- struggles
- washes out
- flunks
- wanes
- declines
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- succeeds
- flourishes
- thrives
- prospers