drop back

verb

dropped back; dropping back; drops back

intransitive verb

1

: retreat

2

: to move straight back from the line of scrimmage

the quarterback drops back to pass

Synonyms of drop back

• withdraw
• retreat
• fall back
• pull out
• retire

Examples of drop back in a Sentence

a change in the wind direction forced the firefighters to drop back

Recent Examples on the Web

Patrick Mahomes took a snap Monday and dropped back before looking left. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2026

When a massive storm complex like today moves through, large amounts of air rise off of the Earth's surface in advance of the storm, then drop back to the ground in and behind the storm. — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Haynes took the shotgun snap at the 10 and dropped back to the 14 before shooting up the middle, pump faking around the seven and diving into the end zone for the game-winning score. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026

But Gunther dropped back down to the mat, forcing Aldis to tap out for the victory. — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for drop back

• aback
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback