as in to withdraw
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
a change in the wind direction forced the firefighters to drop back
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Recent Examples of drop back
Gold’s price rallied near $5,600 per ounce in the morning before suddenly and briefly dropping back below $5,200.
—
Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Morning temps will drop back below freezing on Saturday, and the subsequent afternoon temps are expected to sit in the mid- to upper 40s by the afternoon.
—Anthony Franze, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Jan. 2026
Road conditions are expected to remain hazardous Wednesday morning after temperatures drop back below freezing overnight, officials with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said on Tuesday.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Jan. 2026
Rieder’s odds topped 60% on Polymarket and Kalshi this weekend before dropping back slightly, while the previous front runner Warsh saw his odds fall sharply to around 30%.
—Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drop back
Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Morning temps will drop back below freezing on Saturday, and the subsequent afternoon temps are expected to sit in the mid- to upper 40s by the afternoon.
—Anthony Franze, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Jan. 2026
Road conditions are expected to remain hazardous Wednesday morning after temperatures drop back below freezing overnight, officials with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said on Tuesday.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Jan. 2026
Rieder’s odds topped 60% on Polymarket and Kalshi this weekend before dropping back slightly, while the previous front runner Warsh saw his odds fall sharply to around 30%.
—Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drop back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drop back
Verb
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By April, Kabila’s new government was persuaded by the IMF and the World Bank to withdraw from the contract with Gertler after only eight months.—
Nicolas Niarchos,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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Lupel continued working to get Dotson’s rape conviction overturned until withdrawing as his attorney in 1986.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Totality ends and the umbra gradually retreats across the lunar surface.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
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Totality ends and the process reverses, with the umbra gradually retreating across the lunar surface.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Later in the week, highs will fall back into the 20s and 30s, and there will be more chances for snow.—
Joseph Dames,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
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The rocket reached an altitude of 224 miles (360 km) before falling back to Earth.—
Julian Dossett,
Space.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One skier had pulled out at the last minute, Moon said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
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During the incident, the man whoallegedly pulled out a knife before at least one officer fired shots, according to Boisvert.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Doug and Big Jane eventually retired down in San Antonio, close to their boys.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
18 Feb. 2026
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La Shelle Dozier, SHRA’s longest serving executive director, retired in October.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drop back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drop%20back. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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