as in withdrawn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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fallen back
The city has fallen back on multiple tax measures to draw more money, though spending cuts have also alleviated — for now — yearly deficits in the General Purpose Fund budget, which pays for most salaries and daily operations.
—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
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
The position has now fallen back below the 50-day moving average.
—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
Without those moments, Arsenal have fallen back on set pieces and defending.
—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
While Monday’s state average had fallen back slightly, AAA stated there are no signs of price rises slowing, with a 22-cent climb since last week.
—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
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
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
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
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
The position has now fallen back below the 50-day moving average.
—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
Without those moments, Arsenal have fallen back on set pieces and defending.
—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
While Monday’s state average had fallen back slightly, AAA stated there are no signs of price rises slowing, with a 22-cent climb since last week.
—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallen back
Verb
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China claimed the floating structure was conducting maritime research before saying it had been withdrawn last week.
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Cancer could be affectionate and chatty one moment, and withdrawn and irritable the next, with little to no explanation.
Verb
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Ashcraft eventually settled in and retired the last 10 batters.
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Opener Casey Legumina retired the first four batters before Ian Seymour (4-1) took over in the second inning.
Verb
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Devers petulantly left the field, avoided handshakes and butt slaps in the dugout, and retreated to the clubhouse.
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While both benchmarks have retreated from the highs of the Iran crisis, crude remains much higher than pre-war levels.
Verb
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Edge rusher Jalyx Hunt said cornerback Kelee Ringo shouted out a signal to him before the snap, and Hunt dropped back into coverage and snagged Dalton’s throw.
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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%.
Verb
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Room had a big game with more than a dozen saves; his wife, his wife pulled out the list of haters and went on the attack.
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The world’s second-largest consumer of crude oil, China, has pulled out all the stops to preserve supplies as the war in Iran has cut off access to more than 11 million barrels of oil per day.
Cite this Entry
“Fallen back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallen%20back. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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