comeback
Americannoun
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a return to a former higher rank, popularity, position, prosperity, etc..
The ex-champion kept trying to make a comeback.
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a clever or effective retort; rejoinder; riposte.
That was a great comeback the comedian made to the hecklers.
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Informal. a basis or cause of complaint.
If you insist on buying these pointed shoes, you'll have no comeback when your toes start to hurt.
noun
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a return to a former position, status, etc
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a return or response, esp recriminatory
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a quick reply; retort
verb
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to return
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to become fashionable again
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to reply after a period of consideration
I'll come back to you on that next week
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to argue back; retort
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(of something forgotten) to return to someone's memory
Etymology
Origin of comeback
First recorded in 1815–25; noun use of verb phrase come back
Explanation
A comeback is a quick, witty reply. “Your mama” is a lame comeback but a popular one. It's also a return to prominence after a break, like an athlete who retires and then makes a comeback by returning to the sport. If someone insults you, and you say something back that turns the insult around, that's a comeback. Nice job. Another comeback is when someone — especially in entertainment or sports — comes back after being gone. If a popular singer leaves music for a few years and then returns with a hit song, that's a comeback. In the song “Mama Said Knock You Out,” LL Cool J starts by saying, “Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years!”
Vocabulary lists containing comeback
The Hate U Give
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Olympics Vocabulary for Champions
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All American Boys
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Apple unveiled a new version of its Siri chatbot on Monday, hoping to power a comeback in AI.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
But Wall Street is backing the company to make a comeback with a raft of initiation notes on Monday.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Quayle has been asked to head on to Berlin next week, where Williams will play the second tournament of her comeback with a partner yet to be announced.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Serena Williams has added another stop to her comeback tour: the Berlin Tennis Open.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
“The weather doesn’t suck your blood,” I say, expecting her to have a comeback, but she just shakes her head.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
