come out swinging
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.78 in modern English
24
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
2
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To initiate an encounter or interaction by behaving in an unrestrainedly aggressive, confrontational, or accusatory manner.
verb
To display spunk and strength of character, especially when rising above or when fighting back against trouble or adversity.
Example Sentences
- "New York baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, rolling up his sleeves and coming out swinging for the first time Monday, bluntly told Pete Rozelle to quit "kidding the people" about football being the nation's no. 1 sport."
- "So ingrained is the instinct for massive retaliation that Downing St. came out swinging before mastering the facts."
- "There's ferment is Philadelphia where the ad agency with the oldest name in the business after a very bad year is picking itself up and coming out swinging."
- "She'd endured cruelty and grief and still came out swinging."
Etymology
An allusion to the behavior of a boxer who immediately begins a boxing match or a round of a match by aggressively throwing punches in an unrestrained manner.
Inflected Forms
Phrases
come back swinging
Frequently Paired Words
come back swinging