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 action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude briefly jumped above $90 in the morning before falling back below $87. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 And after a hot start, quarterback Bo Nix has fallen back into inconsistency, with even fewer windows available in Wednesday’s team periods given the absences of his two top receivers in Waddle and Sutton. — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 5 Aug. 2026 The youngest brother of Daniel, William and Alec Baldwin characterized at least part of his falling back from Hollywood as a way to free himself from industry expectations. — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026 The team speculates that’s likely where the flies fall back on simpler reflexes. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 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
  • James Bord, the professional poker player and owner of Scottish club Dunfermline Athletic, had initially been named the preferred bidder by administrators on Christmas Eve, only to withdraw from the process in late February.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But the county withdrew from consideration over zoning issues.
    — David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of withdraw
Verb
  • As his mind retreats to the hues of old movies, Charlotte breaks the fog with a glimmer of humanity.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • James survived the shooting, but is shown retreating back to his car while losing blood.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of retreat
Verb
  • Haynes took the shotgun snap at the 10 and dropped back to the 14 before shooting up the middle, pump faking around the seven and diving into the end zone for the game-winning score.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • But Gunther dropped back down to the mat, forcing Aldis to tap out for the victory.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of drop back
Verb
  • Video of the remarkable rescue filmed by Osorio shows the tiny infant in a dusty bodysuit being carefully pulled out of the wreckage.
    — Rocio Munoz, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Isolating each peak required constructing a very specific function that, when multiplied by the original fractal-like function, would pull out just the peak and be close to zero everywhere else.
    — Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of pull out
Verb
  • After retiring from working in 2019, Norris enjoyed growing and arranging flowers from her yard.
    — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As of Friday afternoon, Bobby Valli had edited the post to leave out the claim that his brother would retire.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 14 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 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on fall back

Nglish: Translation of fall back for Spanish Speakers

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