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
Even when new songs have come for the crown, a lot of them have only remained briefly at the top before falling back behind the top 10’s longterm residents in 2025.
—
Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
And that the time for falling back on progress is over.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are falling back to Earth, with up to four burning up in the atmosphere each day, according to space trackers.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
Baby Steps doesn't go quite that hard, giving players occasional major checkpoints and large, flat plains that prevent you from falling back too far.
—ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
On the second interception, Simmons said Delaware bluffed as if an all-out blitz was coming before falling back into coverage and making the pick.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Ellison briefly became the second-ever person to cross the $400 billion mark, before falling back down to $388 billion by late afternoon.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The object will travel upwards, before falling back into your hand, or to the ground.
—Big Think, 9 Sep. 2025
In fact, Charon's ancient interior may be falling back onto the surface of Charon today.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
And that the time for falling back on progress is over.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are falling back to Earth, with up to four burning up in the atmosphere each day, according to space trackers.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
Baby Steps doesn't go quite that hard, giving players occasional major checkpoints and large, flat plains that prevent you from falling back too far.
—ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
On the second interception, Simmons said Delaware bluffed as if an all-out blitz was coming before falling back into coverage and making the pick.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Ellison briefly became the second-ever person to cross the $400 billion mark, before falling back down to $388 billion by late afternoon.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The object will travel upwards, before falling back into your hand, or to the ground.
—Big Think, 9 Sep. 2025
In fact, Charon's ancient interior may be falling back onto the surface of Charon today.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling back
Verb
-
As the Arctic has warmed four times faster than the rest of the world, sea ice is rapidly retreating.—
Nell Lewis,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Browse books, play pool, and spin records in the Living Room before retreating to the 5,600-square-foot spa, complete with a Himalayan salt room, Finnish sauna, seasonal outdoor pool, and treatments by sustainable Italian brand Comfort Zone, among others.—
Siobhan Reid,
Vogue,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Israeli troops still occupy Gaza and won't be withdrawing until Hamas disarms.—
NPR,
NPR,
14 Oct. 2025
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Other users in the comments suggested the bride look into the legal aspect of the makeup artist withdrawing on such short notice and effectively breaching the contract between them.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After the attack in Doha, Qatar reportedly asked the UAE and Bahrain to close their embassies in Israel—a step that would mean pulling out of the agreement—but both countries have ignored that request.—
Monica Marks,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Within minutes of pulling out of the neighborhood, motion alerts pinged her phone.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some backups go through every tiny detail of the pre and at-snap routine, even dropping back with a ball in their hand but stopping short of throwing it.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
-
As moisture increases later this week, a cooling trend will commence with temperatures dropping back into the normal range by Friday.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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And yet the Republican administration and its congressional allies are showing no signs of caving to Democratic demands or backing away from threats to use the opportunity to pursue deeper cuts to the federal workforce.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Video showed the man backing away from Sanchez, who stands 6-feet-2-inches, before the former quarterback followed then ran after the man, grabbing and throwing him toward the wall of the Westin, another downtown hotel, police wrote in the affidavit.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Raducanu had her blood pressure taken during the match, which was played in oppressive heat and humidity, before retiring down 6-1, 4-1.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Sharon Seelig, who has been president, licensing, is retiring after more than 30 years.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Falling back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20back. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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