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
During the final positional session of the day, Howell, wearing Logan Wilson’s old number 55, worked on dropping back in coverage with the linebackers.
—
Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 May 2026
When opening an app, the CPU would spike to 96% before dropping back to more pedestrian 17% usage after a couple of seconds.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
The Padres won the final two games in San Francisco to win the series, their first after dropping back-to-back series to the Cubs and White Sox.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
The warm weather will last through the week before dropping back into more seasonable highs in the 50s and 60s over the weekend.
—Kylee Miller, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Many of Joseph’s current defensive principles — disguising blitzers indistinguishably from players dropping back into coverage — are similar to what Cincinnati did a decade ago, under defensive coordinator Guenther.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2026
The Longhorns are the one team in the Final Four that has had a two-game losing streak, dropping back-to-back games to LSU and South Carolina in mid-January.
—David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Last week, the quarterback shared a video of himself dropping back to throw on his official Instagram account.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Brent crude oil prices on Thursday briefly topped $119 per barrel before dropping back down.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2026
Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 May 2026
When opening an app, the CPU would spike to 96% before dropping back to more pedestrian 17% usage after a couple of seconds.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
The Padres won the final two games in San Francisco to win the series, their first after dropping back-to-back series to the Cubs and White Sox.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
The warm weather will last through the week before dropping back into more seasonable highs in the 50s and 60s over the weekend.
—Kylee Miller, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Many of Joseph’s current defensive principles — disguising blitzers indistinguishably from players dropping back into coverage — are similar to what Cincinnati did a decade ago, under defensive coordinator Guenther.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2026
The Longhorns are the one team in the Final Four that has had a two-game losing streak, dropping back-to-back games to LSU and South Carolina in mid-January.
—David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Last week, the quarterback shared a video of himself dropping back to throw on his official Instagram account.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Brent crude oil prices on Thursday briefly topped $119 per barrel before dropping back down.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dropping back
Verb
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Trump has also floated the possibility of withdrawing from NATO and threatened to pull troops from Germany, Italy, and Spain.—
Tiago Ventura,
Time,
8 May 2026
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Trump’s Gaza plan, which Israel and Hamas agreed to in October, involves Israeli troops withdrawing from Gaza and reconstruction starting as Hamas lays down its weapons.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
7 May 2026
Verb
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When hunger calls, head to Osteria del Sotto Sale for fresh seafood and pasta before retreating to Dimora dell'Olivastro, a tranquil guesthouse set among olive groves.—
Nicky Swallow,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
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And the country’s disconnection from the regime comes as Putin has removed himself from public life, literally retreating into a bunker.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Roth told me about growing above criticism and falling back in love with Divergent.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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The price of the international benchmark for oil, Brent crude, rose to more than $126 a barrel at one point overnight — the highest since 2022, when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine — before falling back to around $114 a barrel early Thursday.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Unsurprisingly, given the scale and scope of the tournament, and the stage hosting in the US offers, FIFA is pulling out all the entertainment stops.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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Netflix The 49ers split their two rivalry games with the Rams last season, with San Francisco pulling out an unlikely win Thursday night in early October with Mac Jones at quarterback.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Caulfield said, backing away from the lectern and looking to the other university leaders on stage at UCF’s arena.—
Steven Walker,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 May 2026
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The Guardians aren’t backing away from him in the leadoff spot.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The plan also describes major changes to the fleet, such as adding many autonomous ships, buying new submarines, and retiring older aircraft carriers and submarines.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
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While the San Francisco 49ers rookies practiced Friday, Williams was busy on the far north side of the field, doing side-to-side movements and working with resistance bands for 35 minutes before retiring to the team’s weight room.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dropping back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dropping%20back. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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