As crude a weapon as the cave man’s club, the chemical barrage has been hurled against the fabric of life—a fabric on the one hand delicate and destructible, on the other miraculously tough and resilient, and capable of striking back in unexpected ways.

[…] Pembroke led seven thousand men to rout the French. It was a brief triumph. In January 1558, after Pembroke himself had returned, the French struck back and attacked Calais.

England struck back with a fine try from Ben Foden and closed to within seven points with three minutes left when Mark Cueto capitalised on a break from replacement Matt Banahan.

The next day the starboard watch, to which we both belonged, was to be sent ashore on liberty; and availing ourselves of this opportunity, we determined, as soon after the landing as possible, to separate ourselves from the rest of the men without exciting their suspicions, and strike back at once for the mountains.

It was in this frame of mind that, striking back from the shore one morning into the windings of an unfamiliar lane, she came suddenly upon the figure of George Dorset.

When we left camp before sunrise, heading on a beeline for the most northerly gully, I drove eagerly, with the kind of shining hope that early morning starts can generate. But eight hours later, when we struck back toward camp across the open plain, I found myself sagging in the driver’s seat.

[…] the lowest [region of the air] beinge next the earth and the waters, is temperat, and by repercussion or striking back of the sunne beames waxeth hoate, and by absence of them is made colde, being subiect to Wynter and Sommer.

A direct love begets a Reflect love, as the heat wrought in the earth strikes back a heat up into the aire againe.

1794, Robert Jephson, Roman Portraits, London: G.G. and J. Robinson, “Antony and Cleopatra,” lines 2079-2080, p. 161,
[…] as when down Cydnus’ stream
Her burnish’d prow struck back the sun’s bright beam,

1669, uncredited translator, The Vulcano’s, or, Burning and Fire-Vomiting Mountains, by Athanasius Kircher, London: John Allen, Chapter 5, p. 28,
[…] if you cast a stone thereinto, it being struck back presently, you shall receive it cast forth again with great force.

[…] by the sound
Of those Majestic Words, struck back, they fell to th’ Ground.

Now sudden rage
Impell’d him onward, now with palsied fear
Struck back, he reel’d and shook in ev’ry joint.

Strike back

Meaning

Verb

Synonyms