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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Example Sentences
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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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This is because Roth IRAs allow withdrawals of your contributions penalty-free (there are, however, stipulations for withdrawing earnings).—
Becca Stanek,
TheWeek,
12 June 2026
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The rationale was that any war Israel fought would inflame popular anti-Israeli sentiment in the Arab and Muslim world, scuttling the Abraham Accords as Arab governments would withdraw out of fear of backlash.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Seeking a brief escape from the public grief that had engulfed her family, 34-year-old Jackie retreated to the White House family quarters and found the British royal entertaining her young son.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
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Now, like in the Octagon, everyone has retreated to their corners.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
11 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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As the New York Times reports, Gates is seemingly pulling out all the stops to rescue his tarnished brand, a fall from grace that’s putting his $89 billion global health fund, the Gates Foundation, in jeopardy.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
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Over the years, stars have pulled out all the stops with gifts that range from custom artwork to elaborate public tributes.—
Lydia Price,
PEOPLE,
11 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 14 Jun. 2026.
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