COMEBACK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does comeback mean? 

• COMEBACK (noun)
  The noun COMEBACK has 2 senses:

1. a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)

2. return by a celebrity to some previously successful activity

  Familiarity information: COMEBACK used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COMEBACK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

comeback; counter; rejoinder; replication; retort; return; riposte

Context example:

it brought a sharp rejoinder from the teacher

Hypernyms ("comeback" is a kind of...):

reply; response (the speech act of continuing a conversational exchange)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "comeback"):

back talk; backtalk; lip; mouth; sass; sassing (an impudent or insolent rejoinder)

Derivation:

come back (answer back)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Return by a celebrity to some previously successful activity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("comeback" is a kind of...):

reappearance; return (the act of someone appearing again)

 Context examples 

In the UK, Austria, Greece, Malta, Slovenia and Liechtenstein population growth rates declined in 2007 but have made a comeback in 2008.

(Is the Global Crisis Triggering Basic Instincts?, BOGDAN FLORIN PAUL)