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

Those numbers represent a workforce that is increasingly choosing independence not as a fallback but as a structure — and the women building things like collectives and fractional models are driving that shift. —Alli Kushner, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Instead, the collapse results in a faint supernova with significant fallback, in which the heavier elements from the star’s core, such as oxygen, are sucked back past the event horizon and trapped in the black hole beneath. —Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026

Verb

As a result, some teams fall back on public sources or sanitized historical datasets. —Rusty Wiley, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

The position has now fallen back below the 50-day moving average. —Michael Khouw, CNBC, 28 May 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
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback

Kids Definition

fall back

verb

: retreat entry 2 sense 1