What does "boomerang" mean?
Any of various traditional throwing sticks used for hunting or combat by Australian aborigines, including the symmetrical, crescent-shaped, type (the returning boomerang).
Boomerang
/ˈbuːməɹæŋ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of various traditional throwing sticks used for hunting or combat by Australian aborigines, including the symmetrical, crescent-shaped, type (the returning boomerang).
- Grammar: boomerang is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: backfire, arc back, backfire, backfires.
- Useful contrasts: benefit, nonreturning tool, nonreturning weapon.
- Usage evidence: The boomerang hurtled whistling through the air.
How to use "boomerang"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "boomerang" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "boomerang" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "boomerang" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "boomerang" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "boomerang" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "backfire" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "boomerang", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of various traditional throwing sticks used for hunting or combat by Australian aborigines, including the symmetrical, crescent-shaped, type (the returning boomerang).
"Some resemblance to terrestrial things, it is true, everyone can behold in the heavens. Corona, for example, is like a crown, or, as the Australian black fellows know, it is like a boomerang, and we can understand why they give it the name of that curious curved missile."
- 2 a miscalculation that recoils on its maker wordnet
- 3 A flat curved airfoil that spins about an axis perpendicular to the direction of flight, originally used in various parts of the world as a hunting weapon or, in returnable types, for sports or training.
"Before long, however, these pike-like devices were mostly superseded by spring-operated guns of various types. Most of them shot spinning disks, crosses, or small boomerangs of thin steel."
- 4 a curved piece of wood; when properly thrown will return to thrower wordnet
- 5 A breakdancing move in which the performer walks on their hands while keeping the legs raised off the ground.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A boomerang kick.
- 7 A device for changing the color of a followspot.
"Roll: A live action changing from one color to another. Typically requires dexterity to "crossfade" between two colors in the boomerang with one hand while following with the other."
- 8 The early return of an aircraft whose mission was aborted, often due to technical failures.
"For quotations using this term, see Citations:boomerang."
- 9 A cocktail made with rye whiskey and Swedish punsch.
Verb
- 1 To return or rebound unexpectedly, especially when the result is undesired; to backfire. intransitive
""Well, there must be some flaw about this," I suggested. "If your magnet is so strong as all that, you would have your own broadside boomeranging back upon you.""
- 2 return to the initial position from where it came; like a boomerang wordnet
- 3 To travel in a curved path. intransitive
"He said that to the horse as it boomeranged off again and broke away through the scrub."
- 4 To abort a mission and return to base early.
"For quotations using this term, see Citations:boomerang."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The boomerang hurtled whistling through the air."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "boomerang"?
Common synonyms include: backfire, arc back, backfire, backfires, backfiring, backlash.
How do you use "boomerang" in a sentence?
The boomerang hurtled whistling through the air.
How do you pronounce "boomerang"?
Pronounced /ˈbuːməɹæŋ/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Dharug bumariny.