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

Phrases

fall back on or fall back upon

: to have recourse to

had to fall back on their reserves

Synonyms

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

Make voice the start of your thinking, not the fallback. —Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025

Still, Altman admitted that when parents are unreachable, police may become the fallback option. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025

Verb

As highlighted below, teams can be aggressive in going player-for-player (often led by the lone striker) or fall back into a 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 defensive block. —Mark Carey, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025

The median home price in the greater Boston area surpassed $1 million in June before falling back under that threshold again. —Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025

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