DROPS BACK Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

drops back

verb

present tense third-person singular of drop back

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of drops back After the front, the humidity drops back off the scale, meaning that Thursday and Friday will be very comfy and dry. — Terry Eliasen, CBS News, 18 May 2026 If the opposing quarterback drops back to pass, Downs can be effective, as well. — Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026 Too flat and your head drops back; too thick and your chin juts forward. — Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026 If your head drops back or your chin pushes forward, the pillow height is wrong. — Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 9 Apr. 2026 Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots drops back to pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. — Lillian Rizzo,ryan Ruggiero, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026 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 The pump should turn off after the water level drops back down. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drops back

Verb

If a candidate withdraws after that July 13 deadline, the party does not have any way to nominate a replacement.

— Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 6 July 2026
Al Gore, John McCain suspends his campaign for the Republican nomination for president, and Bill Bradley withdraws from the race for the Democratic nomination.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026

Definition of withdraws

Verb

After Will’s funeral, Alice retreats to her in-laws’ remote, dilapidated house, where, through the Necronomicon, a demonic spirit is unleashed and begins to turn the family members into Deadites.

— Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
When Aries pushes harder, Cancer retreats further, and neither feels understood.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026

Definition of retreats

Verb

Any good striker should be looking to pounce on a ball that falls back into the danger area, but the numbers suggest the rate of goals scored via rebounds looks particularly high compared with previous tournaments.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 24 June 2026
The endeavor calls for an untested spacecraft built by the Arizona company Katalyst Space Technologies to rendezvous and dock with Swift — something the observatory was never designed to do — before the observatory falls back to Earth.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 19 June 2026

Definition of falls back

Verb

As the boy backs away, the family's husky mix, Bella, is seen running over from across the yard and chasing the bear away, circling behind the animal and placing itself in between the bear and the boy.

— Mason Leib, ABC News, 7 July 2026
For nearly two agonizing minutes, the bear runs toward her then backs away, rearing up on its hind legs several times, revealing its massive size.

— Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026

Definition of backs away

Verb

Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, the world’s first female prime minister, retires, and her daughter, Pres.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026
The short version is that after defeating the Kilrathi at the climax of Wing Commander 3, Mark Hamill’s Christopher Blair retires to a backwater world to live out a life in peace and obscurity.

— Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 3 July 2026