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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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
  1. retreating
  2. withdrawing
  3. pulling out
  4. dropping back
  5. backing away
  6. retiring
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
  • The White House did not give a reason for withdrawing Schroyer's nomination.
    — Luke Barr, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Kraft rallied together several other stadium owners into withdrawing their venues from the tour if Macklemore had been allowed to perform.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of withdrawing
Verb
  • Use credit, but be smart about it When finances are tight, pulling out a credit card may seem irresponsible.
    — Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
  • 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
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
Verb
  • Dillard taught for more than 20 years at Wesleyan University before retiring in 2002.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That will be a huge emphasis for whoever replaces Jamie Pollard, who is retiring as athletic director next June.
    — David Ubben, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of retiring

Browse Nearby Words

falling away
falling back
falling back on
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Cite this Entry

“Falling back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20back. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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