Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

with a vengeance

Idioms  

  1. With great violence or energy; also, to an extreme degree. For example, The cottage was filthy and Ruth began cleaning with a vengeance, or December has turned cold with a vengeance. This expression was first recorded in 1533. Also see with a will.

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.

No doubt the mayor-elect is fully aware that the president could turn on him with a vengeance.

From Salon • Nov. 26, 2025

Concerns about an AI bubble returned with a vengeance.

From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025

At the same time, foreign competition returned with a vengeance, as Japan, Korea and West Germany rebuilt their industrial sectors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

Just when you thought the old passions for and against the man were beginning to fade, suddenly they are back with a vengeance.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025

The twenty-five pounds I’d shed in Nepal came back with a vengeance.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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.