as in withdrawing
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 dropping back
Sunday will bring a lot of sunshine, but the temperature will reach only about 17 degrees before dropping back into the single digits Sunday night.
—
Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
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
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
Against Florida, Dell’Orso noticed the Gators big men were dropping back only half of the time.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Conner plays everywhere, from the box to the nickel to dropping back as a free safety.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2026
The Peak 2 Peak Gondola makes moving between the two seamless, linking the mountains at high elevation so skiers can switch terrain without dropping back to the village.
—Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Jan. 2026
As moisture increases later this week, a cooling trend will commence with temperatures dropping back into the normal range by Friday.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Six of them could be rushing, or those same six could be dropping back into coverage.
—Omar Kelly
august 5, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2025
Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
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
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
Against Florida, Dell’Orso noticed the Gators big men were dropping back only half of the time.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Conner plays everywhere, from the box to the nickel to dropping back as a free safety.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2026
The Peak 2 Peak Gondola makes moving between the two seamless, linking the mountains at high elevation so skiers can switch terrain without dropping back to the village.
—Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Jan. 2026
As moisture increases later this week, a cooling trend will commence with temperatures dropping back into the normal range by Friday.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Six of them could be rushing, or those same six could be dropping back into coverage.
—Omar Kelly
august 5, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dropping back
Verb
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In the wake of the Pretti shooting by Border Patrol agents, Homan announced last week that 700 immigration enforcement officials would start withdrawing from Minnesota.—
Julia Manchester,
The Hill,
12 Feb. 2026
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The men allegedly cased banks to prey on people who were withdrawing or depositing money at banks, according to the release.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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American automakers sell vehicles in Europe and other markets where emissions standards remain strict, and retreating too far from electrification could weaken global competitiveness.—
Julian Torres,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
-
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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If silver trades around $80 today, that would be like silver falling back to $8 per ounce.—
Aly J Yale,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
-
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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This time, instead of pulling out another clever weapon, Peter walks straight towards his partner, insisting that Hagan has co-opted him for a dirty cause.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
19 Feb. 2026
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More than half of what scientists are pulling out of that frozen ground has never been cataloged.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Finally, the city is now backing away from its idea to charge to drive into Mission Bay Park and is instead looking at other options for solving its budget crisis.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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In a nation backing away from previous diversity commitments, there is little societal pressure for NFL owners to be better.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Siffre took a sporadic approach to releasing music over the years, dropping six albums in a five-year span during the ’70s, including his standout LP Crying Laughing Loving Lying, before retiring.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
17 Feb. 2026
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Liu is the reigning world and Grand Prix champion who returned to figure skating after retiring at 16, just after the 2022 Games.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dropping back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dropping%20back. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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