fallback

1 of 2

noun

fall·​back ˈfȯl-ˌbak 

1

: something on which one can fall back : reserve

—often used attributively

a fallback career

a fallback position

2

: a falling back : retreat

3

: something that falls back

the fallback from an explosion

fall back

2 of 2

verb

fell back; fallen back; falling back; falls back

intransitive verb

: retreat, recede

see also:

fall back on

Synonyms of fallback

Verb

• withdraw
• retreat
• drop back
• pull out
• retire

Examples of fallback in a Sentence

Verb

resistance from native forces was greater than expected, and the invading army was forced to fall back

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That design choice vastly lowers costs but leaves a Robotaxi without a fallback to the machine-vision software analyzing the car’s camera feeds. —Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 19 Mar. 2026

If Ebikitie blows his market away, Dre'Mont Jones offers a perfect fallback option. —Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026

Verb

Sunday will see a return to cooler air, with highs falling back into the 40s to 50s, closer to late March averages. —Joseph Dames, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026

Really, even if tracking is massively off, and Project Hail Mary falls back to a $50M opening in North America, va bene. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1607, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fallback

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

Kids Definition

fall back

verb

: retreat entry 2 sense 1