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
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Recent Examples of fall back
Chuck reveled in calling himself the mayor of the townsite, including its numerous log cabins, all in various states of falling back to the earth.
—
Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
By the time the survivors reached the Great Plains, the Acme and Itala had fallen back, but the Shawmut and two Fords continued to trade leads.
—Eric Moskowitz, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Lee also had a solid showing at last week’s CIF Southern Section Individual Final, quickly getting to 2 under and staying near the top of the leaderboard before falling back to even par to finish in a tie for 26th place.
—Matt Wagner, Daily News, 29 May 2026
Indeed, no matter the city problem, Johnson seemingly falls back on claims of a lack of state financial support.
—Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fall back
Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
By the time the survivors reached the Great Plains, the Acme and Itala had fallen back, but the Shawmut and two Fords continued to trade leads.
—Eric Moskowitz, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Lee also had a solid showing at last week’s CIF Southern Section Individual Final, quickly getting to 2 under and staying near the top of the leaderboard before falling back to even par to finish in a tie for 26th place.
—Matt Wagner, Daily News, 29 May 2026
Indeed, no matter the city problem, Johnson seemingly falls back on claims of a lack of state financial support.
—Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fall back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall back
Verb
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Hulst and Toomey decided to withdraw from the mile at the State meet.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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Generally, the pre-tax money that’s deposited in traditional IRAs cannot be withdrawn before age 59½ without paying a 10% early-withdrawal tax penalty, unless an exception is met.—
Sarah Agostino,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Luna and Lee both believe frustration will die down by November about trash fees and Balboa Park parking, which the City Council retreated on by agreeing to a complex deal last month.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2026
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To their credit, the Wayans don’t entirely retreat from controversy.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The odds of the Clarity Act being passed this year have dropped back from almost 70% on the Polymarket prediction platform, falling to just over 50%.—
Billy Bambrough,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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Wilson told the outlet that Junie knows her way home, adding that the cat could be dropped back off at the family's property.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Roberts pulled Ohtani after the Dodgers pulled out to a seven-run lead in the top of the seventh inning.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
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Instead of those handle halves folding around close to 180 degrees to reveal a central set of pliers like many other Leathermans do, one of the Crunch's handles pulls out and swings downward via an internal arm to reveal the pliers, which in turn swing into position.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The Pirates had just one more hit off Lauer who retired 15 of the next 16 batters after the back-to-back home runs.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
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Baker retired Masataka Yoshida and Gasper in order to finish things off.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fall back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fall%20back. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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