fall back

verb

Definition of fall backnext
as in to withdraw
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable) resistance from native forces was greater than expected, and the invading army was forced to fall back

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 fall back The San Antonio City Council will hold a meeting that morning to vote on whether to place the funding on the ballot, or fall back on the council’s previous approval of municipal bond funding. — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026 The industry goes straight to trying to do the same thing and falls back into that same trap. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026 Post-intervention, the yen strengthened to 157 to the dollar, only to fall back to 159 by August 11, meaning the yen has already lost half of its post-intervention gains. — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026 More dashboards or agents do not fix a process that falls back to email, meetings and spreadsheets when an exception occurs. — Robert Kramer, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fall back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall back
  1. withdraw
  2. retreat
  3. drop back
  4. pull out
  5. retire
Verb
  • The defendants’ decision not to question a witness did not amount to carrying out the agreements, the government argued, because the agreements did not require that action and the defendants had not withdrawn their pending motions.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Iran’s parliament is debating a bill to withdraw from the NPT, according to Iranian lawmakers.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of withdraw
Verb
  • Skywatchers will not only see the moon change color, but also witness the sharp, curved edge of Earth’s shadow steadily advancing across — and later retreating from — the lunar surface.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • At a moment when Washington is retreating from its responsibilities, New York is stepping up for vulnerable immigrant children.
    — Meena Shah, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of retreat
Verb
  • The Twins came into the series tied with Texas for the American League's third wild card but have dropped back into a traffic jam outside the final postseason berth.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Tua Tagovailoa dropped back, looked left and fired down the left sideline to Drake London.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of drop back
Verb
  • The Bulldogs went to Lake Wales and pulled out a 35-34 win last week and will play seven straight at home.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Ruiz is then accused of pulling out a gun and following Hernandez-Lopez after their argument.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of pull out
Verb
  • The sellers, who are retiring, bought the retail space from The Arlington’s original developers back in 2007, Walker said.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The man who caught him, Pete Willis (De Niro), has been retired from public service for almost as long, even if there are still a few loose ends that haunt him.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of retire

Browse Nearby Words

fall away
fall back
fall back on
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fall back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fall%20back. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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