drop back
verb
dropped back; dropping back; drops back
1
: retreat
2
: to move straight back from the line of scrimmage
the quarterback drops back to pass
Examples of drop back in a Sentence
a change in the wind direction forced the firefighters to drop back
Recent Examples on the Web
With Detroit’s win over Calgary, the B’s dropped back to the second wild-card spot.
—
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Under a few clouds, temperatures quickly drop back below freezing outside of the Beltway this evening.
—Cutter Martin, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
The Golden State Warriors just dropped back-to-back games to the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
No quarterback in the NFL has dropped back more times in the past two seasons than Nix.
—Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drop back
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Under a few clouds, temperatures quickly drop back below freezing outside of the Beltway this evening.
—Cutter Martin, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
The Golden State Warriors just dropped back-to-back games to the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
No quarterback in the NFL has dropped back more times in the past two seasons than Nix.
—Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drop back
Cite this Entry
“Drop back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drop%20back. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
