comeback

American  

[kuhm-bak] / ˈkʌmˌbæk /

noun

• comebacks
  plural

1. a return to a former higher rank, popularity, position, prosperity, etc..

   The ex-champion kept trying to make a comeback.

2. a clever or effective retort; rejoinder; riposte.

   That was a great comeback the comedian made to the hecklers.

3. 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.

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comeback British  

/ ˈkʌmˌbæk /

noun

1. a return to a former position, status, etc

2. a return or response, esp recriminatory

3. a quick reply; retort

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verb

1. to return

2. to become fashionable again

3. to reply after a period of consideration

   I'll come back to you on that next week

4. to argue back; retort

5. (of something forgotten) to return to someone's memory

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• comebacks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of comeback

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

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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!”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

comeback comebacks

Measles was declared eradicated from the United States in 2000 thanks to vaccination, but in recent years it has made a strong comeback, fueled by declining vaccination rates and growing public distrust of health authorities.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

By the third quarter, however, it was “entirely different,” he said, with the release of a new frontier AI model, GPT-5.6 Sol, and ChatGPT Work setting the stage for a comeback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Having appeared in one race for Arrows in 1983, Jones made a full-time comeback with new team Haas in 1985 and raced largely unsuccessfully the following year.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

I did call Raman the comeback kid of L.A. politics in a September columna, as indefatigable a politician as I’ve ever covered.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

“The Granger Gunners have stunned everyone today with a comeback for the books!”

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

When it comes to comebacks, Liverpool and Istanbul have plenty of history - but this time Andoni Iraola's side made the wrong kind.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Even without the context of everything that came before the game, it was the most improbable of comebacks.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

And Macquarie analyst Steve Koenig wrote last week that software companies are facing a “more difficult” setup this earnings season given that many stocks in the sector have staged strong comebacks in recent months.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

On came Stafford, who ranks fourth all time in fourth-quarter comebacks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

The reporter, flustered, stammered out something about the rarity of successful comebacks.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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Related Words

• improvement
• rebound
• resurgence
• return
• revival
• victory
• winning

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