as in withdraws
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 drops back
Temperatures are likely to remain warm during the day, though forecasts show possible snow showers early Thursday night as the low drops back below freezing to the upper 20s.
—
Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
The 54-year-old comedian with a beard full of gray stubble drops back to pass, launching a tight spiral underneath SoFi’s massive technicolor halo scoreboard hovering above a sea of empty stands.
—Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on November 16, 2025.
—Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
The pump should turn off after the water level drops back down.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
With Leverkusen’s front players focused on stopping progression into Gravenberch, Jones drops back to receive from Alexander-Arnold.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart drops back to pass during the second half.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins drops back in the second quarter during the NFL 2025 game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on September 18, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
However, Gentz continued, if one assumed About You had been part of the Zalando group last year as well, then 2025 guidance for revenue growth drops back to between 4 percent and 7 percent over the full year.
—Cathrin Schaer, Footwear News, 6 Aug. 2025
Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
The 54-year-old comedian with a beard full of gray stubble drops back to pass, launching a tight spiral underneath SoFi’s massive technicolor halo scoreboard hovering above a sea of empty stands.
—Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on November 16, 2025.
—Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
The pump should turn off after the water level drops back down.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
With Leverkusen’s front players focused on stopping progression into Gravenberch, Jones drops back to receive from Alexander-Arnold.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart drops back to pass during the second half.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins drops back in the second quarter during the NFL 2025 game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on September 18, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
However, Gentz continued, if one assumed About You had been part of the Zalando group last year as well, then 2025 guidance for revenue growth drops back to between 4 percent and 7 percent over the full year.
—Cathrin Schaer, Footwear News, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drops back
Verb
-
If the Pentagon withdraws support, the Scouts would have to scramble to replace medical care, transportation and other emergency services.—
Graham Smith,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Antonio Delgado withdraws from New York governor race after Mamdani backs Hochul.—
,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By Saturday night, geomagnetic activity weakens and retreats north, making aurora visibility in Iowa unlikely or very limited.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
20 Mar. 2026
-
After a painful breakup, college junior Blake Logan retreats to her family's lake house in Tahoe and meets Wyatt Graham.—
Jessica Moore,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Really, even if tracking is massively off, and Project Hail Mary falls back to a $50M opening in North America, va bene.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2026
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This means people will lose an hour of sleep, but daylight hours also will increase in Indiana until the clock falls back again in early November.—
Marina Johnson,
IndyStar,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Jones then slows down to a walk as Prignano backs away.—
Kellie Love,
Hartford Courant,
3 Mar. 2026
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In instances when an agent approaches, a patroller typically backs away while recording the interaction, video footage posted to Union del Barrio’s YouTube page shows.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pairing up Horse mounted patrol officers are trained to be able to ride any horse within their unit, but they’re paired with one in particular, until the animal retires.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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With some help from the Aggies defense, Peters retires three straight batters and boasts two straight strikeouts.—
Zoe Collins Rath,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drops back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drops%20back. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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