boomerang

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boomerang

/ˈbuːməɹæŋ/ UK
/ˈbʉwməɹaŋ/ British, Southern, Standard
/ˈbuːməɹaŋɡ/ Midlands, Northern England
/ˈbumɚæŋ/ US
/ˈbumɚeɪŋ/ US
[ˈbumɚeɪ̯ŋ] ~ [ˈbumɚɛ̃ŋ] US
/ˈbʉːməɹæːŋ/ Australia
[ˈbʉːməɹæːŋ]
[ˈbʉːməɹɛːŋ] ~ [ˈbʉːməɹeːŋ]
/ˈbʉːməɹɛŋ/ New Zealand
/ˈbʉməɾaŋ/ Scotland
/ˈbʉməɻaŋ/ Northern Ireland

Rhymes with -uːməɹæŋ

Where it comes from

Origin uncertain. Possibly from Thurawal. Long regarded as from the Sydney language, but early evidence unclear. The form boo-mer-it is glossed, c.1790, as 'scimeter' (i.e., scimitar) and the word bumarang, bumarañ is not explicitly recorded in the Sydney Language until 1903.

noun boomerangs

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.
Similar: kylie
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 Before long, however, these pike-like devices were mostly superseded by spring-operated guns of various types.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.
A breakdancing move in which the performer walks on their hands while keeping the legs raised off the ground.
A boomerang kick.
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.
The early return of an aircraft whose mission was aborted, often due to technical failures. For quotations using this term, see Citations:boomerang.
A cocktail made with rye whiskey and Swedish punsch.

verb boomerangs · boomeranging · boomeranged

intransitive To return or rebound unexpectedly, especially when the result is undesired; to backfire. "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."
intransitive To travel in a curved path. He said that to the horse as it boomeranged off again and broke away through the scrub.
To abort a mission and return to base early. For quotations using this term, see Citations:boomerang.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: throwing stick, backfire, throw stick, boom, batswing, rogallo wing, rolleron, spinner, float board, swept wing, rattleback, flybar, curl, screwback, dutch roll, whirlybird

Translations

Every language

noun flat curved airfoil

Español	bumerán, búmeran, bumerang
한국어	부메랑 bumerang
日本語	ブーメラン būmeran
中文	回飛棒 /回飞棒 huífēibàng, 回旋鏢 /回旋镖 huíxuánbiāo, 飛去來器 /飞去来器 fēiqùláiqì, 飛鏢 /飞镖 fēibiāo, 回力鏢 /回力镖 huílìbiāo, 飛旋鏢 /飞旋镖 fēixuánbiāo
हिन्दी	बुमेरांग bumerāṅg
Português	bumerangue
Français	boomerang, boumerang
Deutsch	Bumerang
Italiano	boomerang, bumerang
Ελληνικά	μπούμερανγκ boúmerangk
Română	bumerang
Русский	бумера́нг bumeráng
العربية	بُومَرَانْغ būmarānḡ, عُرْجُد ʕurjud
עברית	בּוּמֶרַנְג bumerang

verb Translations

Español	bumeranear
中文	反噬 fǎnshì

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Cite this

MLA

"boomerang." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/boomerang. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

boomerang. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/boomerang

Chicago

"boomerang." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/boomerang.

BibTeX

@misc{boomerang_2026,
  title = {boomerang},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/boomerang},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}