fight fire with fire

Idioms  

1. Combat an evil or negative circumstances by reacting in kind. For example, When the opposition began a smear campaign, we decided to fight fire with fire. Although ancient writers from Plato to Erasmus cautioned that one should not add fire to fire, this warning is not incorporated in the idiom, which was first recorded in Shakespeare's Coriolanus.

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Example Sentences

To counter such misuse, he says, authorities will need to fight fire with fire, developing AI models that detect crime by auditing users’ tax returns, for example.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Those who fight fire with fire risk getting badly burned.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 27, 2025

You have to be able to fight fire with fire.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 16, 2024

A ball later, whether unsettled or wanting to fight fire with fire, the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter plopped a ball into the hands of extra cover.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2023

"If we attempt to silence this talk, we only lend it credence. Better to treat it with contempt, like the pathetic lie it is. And meantime, fight fire with fire."

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin