comeback

[kuhm-bak]

See more synonyms for comeback on Thesaurus.com

noun

a return to a former higher rank, popularity, position, prosperity, etc.: The ex-champion kept trying to make a comeback.
a clever or effective retort; rejoinder; riposte: That was a great comeback the comedian made to the hecklers.
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.

Origin of comeback

First recorded in 1815–25; noun use of verb phrase come back

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for comeback

resurgence, return, revival, rebound, improvement, victory, winning, rally, rejoinder, repartee, quip, retaliation, riposte, reply, response

Examples from the Web for comeback

Contemporary Examples of comeback

The Comeback was, without question, one of the year's best and funniest comedies.
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards
Kevin Fallon
December 29, 2014
We might have thought The Comeback was about a desperate actress's shameless struggle for fame.
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards
Kevin Fallon
December 29, 2014
If laughter is the best medicine, The Comeback made you feel enough pain to need a dose—and then it delivered in spades.
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards
Kevin Fallon
December 29, 2014
When you think about all of that, the success of this Comeback run is all the more impressive.
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards
Kevin Fallon
December 29, 2014
It's been nine years that fans of The Comeback have been clamoring for HBO to "give her another take."
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards
Kevin Fallon
December 29, 2014

Historical Examples of comeback

While I turned to answer it, my mind was still hunting a comeback to this.
The Million-Dollar Suitcase
Alice MacGowan
As she's beamin' straight at me I has to give her some comeback.
Torchy As A Pa
Sewell Ford
Angela gasped: "Oh, comeback, comeback, darling Miss Humf'ay!"
Once Aboard The Lugger
Arthur Stuart-Menteth Hutchinson
Now, with every chance for a comeback, Nan wanted me to pass!
The Scapegoat
Richard Maples
I didn't have any comeback about that, for there was certainly some truth in what he says.
Believe You Me!
Nina Wilcox Putnam

British Dictionary definitions for comeback

comeback

noun informal

a return to a former position, status, etc
a return or response, esp recriminatory
a quick reply; retort

verb come back (intr, adverb)

to return
to become fashionable again
to reply after a period of considerationI'll come back to you on that next week
US and Canadian to argue back; retort
come back to someone (of something forgotten) to return to someone's memory

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for comeback

"verbal retort," 1889, from come + back (adj.). Meaning "recovery, return to former position or condition after retirement or loss" is attested from 1908, American English.