ENGLISH
REFERENCE

boomerang

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈbumɝˌæŋ// UK //bˈuːməɹˌæŋ// boomerang

n. a curved wooden tool that you throw, which is designed to fly in a circle and come back to you. It is also used to describe a plan or action that returns to harm the person who started it.

n. a curved, flat implement designed to return to the thrower when launched into the air. Often used metaphorically to describe a scheme or action that recoils upon its originator.


SIMPLE

He threw the boomerang and caught it as it returned.

CONTEXTUAL

The politician's aggressive smear campaign acted like a boomerang, damaging his own reputation more than his opponent's.

COMPLEX

While traditionally an Australian hunting tool, the boomerang has become a global symbol of cyclical return, frequently appearing in literature to represent the inescapable consequences of one's past actions.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Dharug bumariny.

Usage

Commonly used as a modifier in 'boomerang effect' to describe a result opposite to the one intended.

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