bite back
Upper Intermediate (B2) neutral
To fight back with words, OR to hold back something you were about to say.
"When the journalist questioned her integrity, the senator bit back with a list of her achievements."
Hear it in context
These Bugs Sent Me to the Hospital!
Brave Wilderness · 19:18
"Coyote Peterson finally gets to bite back at the bugs,
SLIMED! Up close with the Slimiest Creatures on Earth!
Brave Wilderness · 5:36
So because they can't bite back, they choose to hide.
We Found the World’s Slimiest Animals!
Mark Vins · 5:36
So because they can't bite back, they choose to hide.
Trump Is the Greatest At One Law Of Power — And It Could Destroy Him - Robert Greene
Triggernometry · 40:36
But it can hurt you in the it can bite back and hurt
Instant Regret! Thailand's Bug Eating Challenge
Brave Wilderness · 10:53
Now it's my chance to get a little bit of a bite back.