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
The MPKs have no idea how to de-escalate the situation and fall back on what seems to be their default setting of being disproportionately violent toward unarmed fellow humans.
—
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026
Baker either avoided directly answering any questions related to the Massachusetts political arena, falling back on his new role at the NCAA for taking him away from the Bay State.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Temperatures should reach around 73 degrees on Friday, fall back to the low- to mid-60s by Saturday, and reach around 65 degrees by Sunday.
—Vytas Reid, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Knowing when to jump into the conversation at the right time, and knowing when to fall back.
—Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fall back
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026
Baker either avoided directly answering any questions related to the Massachusetts political arena, falling back on his new role at the NCAA for taking him away from the Bay State.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Temperatures should reach around 73 degrees on Friday, fall back to the low- to mid-60s by Saturday, and reach around 65 degrees by Sunday.
—Vytas Reid, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Knowing when to jump into the conversation at the right time, and knowing when to fall back.
—Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fall back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall back
Verb
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They were given sixty days to cease operations and withdraw all international staff.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
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Inevitably, Kreutzer’s film was tarnished by association and even withdrawn from cinemas.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Just as people must eventually retreat from outdoor living spaces—whether a porch, lawn, or patio—and head indoors, so too must our things.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
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In an attempt to spark inspiration for a new Little Death origin story, Kris pays a visit to the present-day Billy, played by a regal, knowing Gillian Anderson, who retreated from public life after that first installment and whom Kris hopes to persuade to appear in her reboot.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Bonitto, though, explained that Denver already played Elliss at ILB on several third-down packages last year, and lauded his ability to drop back in coverage.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
14 May 2026
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Once the clearance dropped back toward the edge of the area, however, his focus immediately shifted from defending the cross to protecting the goal.—
Matt Pyzdrowski,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
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But adding that little bit of friction for one week, by having to log in on a web browser rather than just pulling out a phone without thinking, puts us back in charge of deciding where our attention goes.—
Jonathan Haidt,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
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Ryan pulled out the gun and pointed it at MacMeekin, leading to a fierce struggle for the weapon, according to charging documents.—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The hard-throwing Gorajski retired 15 of 16 batters, 13 via strikeouts.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
12 May 2026
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Boone’s words proved prescient, as Weathers, just a tad trimmer, retired 13 straight Baltimore batters following a game-opening walk.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fall back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fall%20back. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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