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
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
And long-term oil prices, which is the biggest influence on the price of gas, don’t show signs of falling back below the pre-war $70 a barrel level any time before the next decade.
—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
18 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
That’s because of a myriad of actions, including countries falling back on their emergency oil reserves.
—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
10 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
Chuck reveled in calling himself the mayor of the townsite, including its numerous log cabins, all in various states of falling back to the earth.
—
Dp Opinion,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Lee also had a solid showing at last week’s CIF Southern Section Individual Final, quickly getting to 2 under and staying near the top of the leaderboard before falling back to even par to finish in a tie for 26th place.
—
Matt Wagner,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
MacKinnon crumpled to the ice in pain after blocking the shot, briefly getting to one knee and clearing the puck out of the defensive zone before falling back to the ice.
—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
And long-term oil prices, which is the biggest influence on the price of gas, don’t show signs of falling back below the pre-war $70 a barrel level any time before the next decade.
—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
18 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
That’s because of a myriad of actions, including countries falling back on their emergency oil reserves.
—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
10 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
Chuck reveled in calling himself the mayor of the townsite, including its numerous log cabins, all in various states of falling back to the earth.
—
Dp Opinion,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Lee also had a solid showing at last week’s CIF Southern Section Individual Final, quickly getting to 2 under and staying near the top of the leaderboard before falling back to even par to finish in a tie for 26th place.
—
Matt Wagner,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
MacKinnon crumpled to the ice in pain after blocking the shot, briefly getting to one knee and clearing the puck out of the defensive zone before falling back to the ice.
—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling back
Verb
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That may help to explain why premium spirits brands are not retreating in the face of no-and-low.
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But retreating indoors can come at a cost.
Verb
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While conventional wisdom had long been that consumers should build up a certain level of savings — six months' worth of living expenses, for example — those who study the accounts now consider saving to be a dynamic process of paying in, withdrawing, and then replenishing.
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The military held a similar security strip from 1985 until 2000, before withdrawing after years of steady casualties, a toll that is accumulating once again.
Verb
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Kramer agreed, crediting facility partners at Sporting Kansas City, the KC Current, the University of Kansas and the $20-million Swope Soccer Village for pulling out the stops to attract the world’s best teams.
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An unidentified man wearing blue basketball shorts and a Knicks hat was spotted in a video obtained by ABC News getting down on one knee, pulling out a red box and holding up a ring.
Verb
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The Griz constantly pumps the rod to get his bait darting forward and then dropping back.
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Vingegaard, in his first day in the pink jersey, alongside Jayco AlUla’s Ben O’Connor and Lidl-Trek’s home hero Giulio Ciccone led discussions with the commissaires, with the Dane dropping back to the organisers’ car with 50km (31 miles) remaining to lead discussions.
Verb
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With sunbeams gleaming downward, reflecting off of the spacecraft's hull, the Dragon can be seen backing away from the station mere moments after undocking from the port on the station's Harmony module.
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Big Oil is not backing away from renewables because the energy transition has stopped.
Verb
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Matthews responded by retiring Tommy Edman for the first time in three at-bats and striking out backup catcher Chuckie Robinson.
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In the 7th Congressional District, Mamdani is backing Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, who is vying to take over retiring Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez's seat.
Cite this Entry
“Falling back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20back. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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