comeback
Americannoun
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comebacks
plural
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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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
The hope for a Dodgers comeback in the National League Championship Series was fleeting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Bethell's comeback could displace any one of that trio.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Powderfinger, one of Australia's best loved rock bands, has unveiled details of a comeback tour – to take place 17 years after they broke up.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
With a furious fourth-quarter rally, Manning had led Texas to a 20-point comeback win over Ohio State to launch the Longhorns to the No. 1 spot in the Top 25.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
“Young Majidi with a swift comeback, even if it is a little juvenile.”
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
Williams stunned the Packers twice last season with fourth-quarter comebacks, including one in the play-offs, but Chicago are not the same threat without him.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
On came Stafford, who ranks fourth all time in fourth-quarter comebacks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Given Stafford’s history of dramatic comebacks, the Rams were on the verge of possibly pulling out a victory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
The injury was aggravated during several attempted comebacks, before Fontaine was forced to call time on his career in 1962.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
“There are no comebacks or do-overs. You may wish they could come back, but it’s important that you understand they can’t, and they won’t.”
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
