Synonyms of falling back

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

• retreating
• withdrawing
• pulling out
• dropping back
• backing away
• giving way
• losing ground
• retiring
• giving ground
• receding
• fleeing
• evacuating
• flying
• pulling away
• climbing down
• backing down
• bowing out
• leaving
• shrinking
• flinching
• recoiling
• chickening (out)
• detaching
• departing
• going
• backtracking
• abandoning
• disengaging
• disentangling
• vacating
• backpedaling
• quitting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advancing
• facing
• confronting
• daring
• defying
• braving
• brazening
• breasting
• outbraving
• bearding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of falling back

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

Arizona, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico are among the states and territories that don't follow this pattern of sprining forward and falling back. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 15 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

SpaceX posted huge gains after a record-breaking IPO on June 12, briefly surpassing Amazon and Microsoft in market capitalization, before falling back below both as sentiment cooled. — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 23 June 2026

Goldberg said as the audience cheered over the news, eventually falling back in her chair in shock. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026

As with prior election denial efforts, MAGA is hanging their red hat on the fact that their candidate seemed to be doing better earlier on before falling back as votes continued to be counted. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026