What does boomerang mean?
Word: Boomerang
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Boomerang means a curved, flat piece of wood that comes back to you when you throw it; as a verb, to boomerang is for a plan to backfire on the person who made it.
Synonyms: rebound
Word origin: The spelling boomerang is first recorded in English in 1827; a word noted in 1798, wo-mur-rang, may be an earlier form, but experts are not sure.
How do you spell boomerang?
Syllables: boo - mer - ang
Tricky part: The vowel in the middle is e, then r, then ang. Boomarang, with an a in the middle, is the commonest error.
Watch out for: boomarang, boomirang
Memory tip: Boomerang has the mer of summer in the middle, never mar.
Boomerang in a sentence
Example 1: Dad's joke about my cooking boomeranged when I made him wash the dishes.
Example 2: We learnt to throw a boomerang on a wide beach in Goa.
Example 3: The plan to skip practice boomeranged when the coach dropped us from the team.
Fun Fact
Not every boomerang comes back. Only the lighter, more curved kind is made to return; heavier, straighter ones were made to fly far in a straight line.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Boomerang came into English from ___.
a) an Aboriginal language of Australia
b) a Native American language
c) a Maori language of New Zealand
d) Portuguese
Show answer
a) an Aboriginal language of Australia. English settlers in New South Wales most likely took the word from local Aboriginal people.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) toboggan
b) catamaran
c) raccoon
d) bumerang
Show answer
d) bumerang. The long oo sound at the start is spelt with a double o.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
In the park, Tara threw the curved wooden ___ and caught it again as it circled back to her.
a) boomerang
b) discus
c) javelin
d) frisbee
Show answer
a) boomerang. A javelin, a discus and a frisbee are thrown too, but none is a curved wooden stick that circles back.
Word Puzzle
Match the verbs with the correct options:
1. boomerang 2. thrive 3. dwindle a. backfire b. shrink c. flourish
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. As verbs, a plan that boomerangs backfires, a plant that thrives flourishes, and savings that dwindle shrink.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence uses boomerang as a verb?
a) The boomerang flew high.
b) His fib boomeranged on him.
c) The boomerang was painted red.
d) She bought a boomerang.
Show answer
b) His fib boomeranged on him.
2. Where would you most likely see people throwing boomerangs for sport?
a) in a wide open field
b) in a cinema hall
c) in a school library
d) in a swimming pool
Show answer
a) in a wide open field
