as in withdrawn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
The Utes have fallen back from their original jump now that their UCLA win isn’t valuable anymore.
—
Chris Vannini, New York Times, 15 Sep. 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
But as the 21-year-old surges, another Red Sox outfielder has fallen back into a brutal slump.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
By the mid-1980s, inflation had fallen back into the low single digits.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
Chris Vannini, New York Times, 15 Sep. 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
But as the 21-year-old surges, another Red Sox outfielder has fallen back into a brutal slump.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
By the mid-1980s, inflation had fallen back into the low single digits.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallen back
Verb
-
Swift received a subpoena in the case in May that was subsequently withdrawn.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Swift was previously subpoenaed but the filing was later withdrawn.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By that time, Hartman had retired from the movie industry.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Sep. 2025
-
But reliever Juan Mejia retired the next three hitters — a Laureano strikeout sandwiched between flyouts from Sheets and Merrill — to squash the first semblance of a rally.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One deputy retreated while two of them fired their guns, hitting Williams and Lane, authorities said.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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Each apartment was different from the next, and the vacant unit (one daughter retreated to a Greek island) had views of the sea.—
Keith Flanagan,
Architectural Digest,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Philadelphia hasn’t clinched yet, but the division is out of reach after the Mets dropped back-to-back games at Citizens Bank Park.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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Denver’s late fourth-quarter play-call was the most obvious head-scratcher of any decision against the Titans, as Nix dropped back and fired off an incomplete go-ball to Marvin Mims on a fourth-and-eight with a minute left.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Jungwirth pulled out a gun, jumped over the counter and pointed the gun at the 38-year-old clerk.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Tanjiro Kamado and the other slayers are plummeting down endless stories after the ground was quite literally pulled out from under them in a cliffhanger at the end of season four.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fallen back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallen%20back. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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