FALLING BACK Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

falling back

verb

present participle of fall back

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of falling back The risk of debris falling back to Earth and harming someone or something is slim but not zero. — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026 The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude briefly jumped above $90 in the morning before falling back below $87. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 The youngest brother of Daniel, William and Alec Baldwin characterized at least part of his falling back from Hollywood as a way to free himself from industry expectations. — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026 Elder looked like a Cy Young candidate alongside Sale early on before falling back to Earth. — Jesús Cano, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026 Some of that material condensed into tiny droplets called spherules, which spread around the planet before falling back through Earth's atmosphere at several miles per second. — Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Fowler surged into the lead — briefly — at 11 under before falling back to the pack. — CBS News, 31 July 2026 That was his life for more than a decade — sometimes in work or a relationship but always falling back to addiction. — Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 25 July 2026 Now, the murder rate is falling back in line with other crime trends, many of which are also among the lowest ever recorded. — James Tuttle, The Conversation, 9 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling back

Verb

But Jewish security is not achieved by retreating from the rest of New York.

— Mark Treyger, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026
The Himalayas are warming rapidly, glaciers are retreating and rainfall and snowfall patterns are shifting.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of retreating

Verb

Van Aert’s victory extends his lead over Brennan to 65 points in the uncompetitive green jersey contest, with his only realistic rival, Lidl-Trek’s Mads Pedersen, withdrawing from the race earlier this week.

— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
The council eventually agreed in May to delay implementation of the minimum wage increase by 18 months in exchange for the business coalition withdrawing the gross receipts measure.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

Just as Alcaraz took the long view with his wrist injury, pulling out of tournaments early and ramping up his comeback slowly, for Sinner, there is no reward in risk.

— James Hansen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Some winemakers are reacting by pulling out vineyards, changing their grape varieties, moving further north or introducing irrigation systems.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of pulling out

Verb

The soggy weekend comes as temperatures are expected to climb again in Los Angeles this week, soaring into the mid-90s by Wednesday and Thursday and dropping back into the 80s next weekend.

— Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Despite dropping back in the final kilometers, overall leader Tadej Pogačar limited his time losses by driving the main chase group across the line.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of dropping back

Verb

The mission will arrive at the moons in 2027, spend two years mapping Phobos and selecting a landing site for sampling before backing away to observe Deimos.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Instead of literally backing away, in this example, the person metaphorically backs away by completing the session and exiting as expected without further conflict.

— Michele Patterson Ford, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of backing away

Browse Nearby Words

falling away

falling back

falling back on

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“Falling back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20back. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of falling back

verb

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