as in retreating
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 falling back
The price of the international benchmark for oil, Brent crude, rose to more than $126 a barrel at one point overnight — the highest since 2022, when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine — before falling back to around $114 a barrel early Thursday.
—
Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
Baker either avoided directly answering any questions related to the Massachusetts political arena, falling back on his new role at the NCAA for taking him away from the Bay State.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The Citi team, led by Max Layton and Francisco Martoccia, would then see Brent crude prices averaging around $110 this quarter before falling back to $80 in the fourth quarter.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
While the monologue was a blast of fresh chaos (or at least the sense of chaos) with Black jamming out with White, the rest of the show didn’t have the same kind of verve, falling back on familiar sketch formulas.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Another one is about leftover debris from the original stellar collision slowly falling back onto the star over millions of years.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 Apr. 2026
Tuesday will be noticeably cooler, with highs falling back into the 40s and low 50s and drier conditions returning late.
—Joseph Dames, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Blue light suppresses melatonin and makes falling back asleep significantly harder.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
In 2025, things got even worse, with the team falling back to seventh after being overtaken by Williams and the Racing Bulls.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2026
Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
Baker either avoided directly answering any questions related to the Massachusetts political arena, falling back on his new role at the NCAA for taking him away from the Bay State.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The Citi team, led by Max Layton and Francisco Martoccia, would then see Brent crude prices averaging around $110 this quarter before falling back to $80 in the fourth quarter.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
While the monologue was a blast of fresh chaos (or at least the sense of chaos) with Black jamming out with White, the rest of the show didn’t have the same kind of verve, falling back on familiar sketch formulas.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Another one is about leftover debris from the original stellar collision slowly falling back onto the star over millions of years.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 Apr. 2026
Tuesday will be noticeably cooler, with highs falling back into the 40s and low 50s and drier conditions returning late.
—Joseph Dames, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Blue light suppresses melatonin and makes falling back asleep significantly harder.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
In 2025, things got even worse, with the team falling back to seventh after being overtaken by Williams and the Racing Bulls.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling back
Verb
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That deadlock prompted an unusually long recess of nearly 90 minutes that was followed by a 6-0 vote in favor of retreating on the bus stops.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Many of them have been linked to retreating glaciers, as melting ice destabilizes the mountains and land that had been covered for centuries.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The Cabinet discussed—and George III supported—withdrawing from the coastal colonies entirely in favor of the Caribbean.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Two top Republican lawmakers expressed concern about the Pentagon withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The teams met twice this season, with CCA pulling out wins of 10-8 and 9-9 and winning the overall games, 87 to 79.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Charged with pulling out of Mary the hurt inside, Coel exquisitely performs the task with the precision of an elite surgeon.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When opening an app, the CPU would spike to 96% before dropping back to more pedestrian 17% usage after a couple of seconds.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
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The Padres won the final two games in San Francisco to win the series, their first after dropping back-to-back series to the Cubs and White Sox.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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But Sanchez’s administration isn’t backing away from its call for an audit.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
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Stanford is backing away from a program designed to support teachers of color after accusations of racial discrimination led to a federal investigation announced this week.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Castillo needed 30 pitches to get out of the inning, but limited the damage by retiring Buxton on a pop fly, leaving the bases loaded.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
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Since retiring in 2022, she's been an outspoken advocate for mothers in professional sports and beyond.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Falling back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20back. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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