Word
boomerang
US/ˈbumɝˌæŋ/
UK/bˈuːməɹˌæŋ/
Definition
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.
Examples
“He threw the boomerang and caught it as it returned.”
“The politician's aggressive smear campaign acted like a boomerang, damaging his own reputation more than his opponent's.”
“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.”
Examples
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.”
Usage
Commonly used as a modifier in 'boomerang effect' to describe a result opposite to the one intended.
Real-World Examples
“The more violence we dish out, the stronger and the better and the safer we somehow are and a lot of that violence boomeranged and made new enemies.” “Olaf Falafel : I remember thinking, as I taped a piranha to my boomerang, this could come back to bite me.” Etymology
Borrowed from Dharug bumariny.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.