as in withdrawn
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 fallen back
In early trading Monday morning, both indexes had fallen back slightly.
—
Alexander Smith, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
For instance, the aluminum could have exploded out of the supernova, while the iron — coming from deeper in the star’s core — could have fallen back into the dead star.
—James Dinneen, Quanta Magazine, 2 Mar. 2026
These two teams have been Super Bowl contenders for years thanks to MVP-winning quarterbacks, though both have fallen back a bit (especially Baltimore).
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Over the past year, McDonnell has fallen back on the message that the LAPD has a long-standing policy of not getting involved in civil immigration enforcement.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
One thing Grande isn’t showing signs of slowing down on in the near future is acting, having fallen back in love with the artform through her time on the Wicked set.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2026
Giovanna had fallen back asleep.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
The city’s vacancy rate has fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, and new housing construction is at its weakest pace in a decade, the report added.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
By July, sentiment had recovered, and stock market volatility (the VIX) had fallen back well below the 5-year and 10-year averages.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Alexander Smith, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
For instance, the aluminum could have exploded out of the supernova, while the iron — coming from deeper in the star’s core — could have fallen back into the dead star.
—James Dinneen, Quanta Magazine, 2 Mar. 2026
These two teams have been Super Bowl contenders for years thanks to MVP-winning quarterbacks, though both have fallen back a bit (especially Baltimore).
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Over the past year, McDonnell has fallen back on the message that the LAPD has a long-standing policy of not getting involved in civil immigration enforcement.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
One thing Grande isn’t showing signs of slowing down on in the near future is acting, having fallen back in love with the artform through her time on the Wicked set.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2026
Giovanna had fallen back asleep.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
The city’s vacancy rate has fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, and new housing construction is at its weakest pace in a decade, the report added.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
By July, sentiment had recovered, and stock market volatility (the VIX) had fallen back well below the 5-year and 10-year averages.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallen back
Verb
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The letter also raised concerns about foreign investment in Paramount’s offer, noting that the deal included potential financing from Chinese company Tencent Holdings, which had previously withdrawn funding due to national security review concerns.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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In pushing for stricter oversight, the bill calls for parents to notify local school officials in person when their child is being withdrawn from public school, provide filings every year, and show testing progress by 2028-29.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Johnson, 80, retired at Mission Viejo after the 2017 season as Orange County’s all-time leader in coaching victories with 338, according to county football historian Dennis Bateman.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Grandisson, now retired, worked as an executive in the insurance industry.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, has retreated from the near-$120 per barrel seen earlier in the week, as the International Energy Agency agreed on Wednesday to release a record 400 million barrels of oil from its emergency reserves.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
-
O’Brien has not retreated from public life.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And prices dropped back around the $2 mark soon after thanks to a higher production of broilers — or chickens raised for meat — in the latter half of the year.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
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On third down, Maye dropped back to pass, felt pressure and scrambled up the middle for 16 yards.—
February 9,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Last week, Anthropic pulled out of a pending agreement with the Defense Department over stated concerns about how its technologies could be used for autonomous warfare and mass domestic surveillance.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
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However, Liu has also pulled out of the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fallen back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallen%20back. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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