Synonyms of fall back

fall back

verb

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

• withdraw
• retreat
• drop back
• pull out
• retire
• back away
• give way
• lose ground
• recede
• flee
• give ground
• evacuate
• fly
• climb down
• leave
• pull away
• shrink
• flinch
• chicken (out)
• back down
• recoil
• go
• bow out
• detach
• depart
• abandon
• disengage
• vacate
• disentangle
• quit
• backtrack
• backpedal

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advance
• face
• breast
• dare
• confront
• beard
• defy
• brave
• outbrave
• brazen

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fall back

Some of that material condensed into tiny droplets called spherules, which spread around the planet before falling back through Earth's atmosphere at several miles per second. — Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 1 Aug. 2026

When no one defines what the seat requires, evaluators fall back on the familiar resume and the face that looks the part, and that is where the benefit of the doubt often flows to men. — Julia Rafal-Baer, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

If by some chance a hurricane wipes out several theaters and Brand New Day falls back to $280M — c’mon, that’s an awesome opening, and $20M ahead of No Way Home‘s start. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 31 July 2026

Fowler surged into the lead — briefly — at 11 under before falling back to the pack. — CBS News, 31 July 2026