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
Jefferson Lerma performed reasonably well after dropping back from midfield, is strong in the air and offers experience despite it not being his primary position, but his hamstring injury against Burnley on February 11 meant even fewer options.
—
Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Temperatures remain steady in the upper 30s and lower 40s through sunset, before dropping back into the upper 20s and lower 30s as the forecast dries out overnight.
—Cutter Martin, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
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
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
Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Temperatures remain steady in the upper 30s and lower 40s through sunset, before dropping back into the upper 20s and lower 30s as the forecast dries out overnight.
—Cutter Martin, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dropping back
Verb
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Arguing that having a public apology circulating online would be unfair to their client, his attorneys instead handed Rose a paper note containing the apology before quickly withdrawing it.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
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And naive, especially after the Soviet Union spent a decade fighting in Afghanistan to put communist allies in charge, before withdrawing its troops in 1989 amid failure.—
Jill Lawrence,
Mercury News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Parasite versus 1917 was expanding Oscar’s horizons versus retreating to familiar territory.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Goldman’s baseline forecast has Brent crude averaging $98 per barrel in March and April before retreating to $71 by year-end.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Crude prices shot up above $100 on the news of the attacks before falling back a bit.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to nearly $120 on Monday before falling back but was still at around $90 a barrel on Tuesday, nearly 24% higher than when the war started.—
Samy Magdy,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As service begins at a fine dining restaurant’s Los Angeles residency, allegations of the chef’s abusive workplace practices have resurfaced, sparking backlash, protests and major sponsors like American Express and dining concierge startup Blackbird pulling out.—
Shindy Chen
March 13,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Mar. 2026
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Snook, a 10-year veteran of the Delaware State Police, was working an overtime shift at the DMV when Rose entered the building and sat in the waiting area for several minutes before pulling out a gun.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As officers yell for Martinez to stop, Stevens pulls his weapon and rapidly fires three shots through the window before quickly backing away.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
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As officers yell for Martinez to stop, Stevens pulls his weapon and rapidly fires three shots through the window before quickly backing away.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Liu won the 2025 World title last March, less than a year after returning to the sport after retiring days after the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
11 Mar. 2026
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The deal comes two days after the Chargers signed veteran center Tyler Biadasz to take over for the retiring Bradley Bozeman.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dropping back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dropping%20back. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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