as in withdraws
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 falls back
The trajectory The mission is on a flight path that keeps the spacecraft in Earth's gravitational influence past the moon, then falls back to the planet for splashdown.
—
Brendan Byrne, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
Really, even if tracking is massively off, and Project Hail Mary falls back to a $50M opening in North America, va bene.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
This means people will lose an hour of sleep, but daylight hours also will increase in Indiana until the clock falls back again in early November.
—Marina Johnson, IndyStar, 7 Mar. 2026
In the process of watering the seed in, some of the loose soil dredged up by the disks falls back into the slits, covering the seed.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 19 Feb. 2026
The top-three picks have been determined, and the task falls back to the readers to decide which will take the title in each of 50 categories, from burgers and wings to driveworthy things.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
That water then freezes in the atmosphere and falls back down as snow.
—Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
When fired for real in the film, the first intercepting missile malfunctions and falls back to earth.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Longs should use that as their downside protection level, if GM falls back into the gap things get murky.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Brendan Byrne, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026
Really, even if tracking is massively off, and Project Hail Mary falls back to a $50M opening in North America, va bene.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
This means people will lose an hour of sleep, but daylight hours also will increase in Indiana until the clock falls back again in early November.
—Marina Johnson, IndyStar, 7 Mar. 2026
In the process of watering the seed in, some of the loose soil dredged up by the disks falls back into the slits, covering the seed.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 19 Feb. 2026
The top-three picks have been determined, and the task falls back to the readers to decide which will take the title in each of 50 categories, from burgers and wings to driveworthy things.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
That water then freezes in the atmosphere and falls back down as snow.
—Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 24 Jan. 2026
When fired for real in the film, the first intercepting missile malfunctions and falls back to earth.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Longs should use that as their downside protection level, if GM falls back into the gap things get murky.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falls back
Verb
-
Each retiree withdraws $50,000 per year.—
Doug Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Tax lien changes Fresh Start also introduced changes to how and when the IRS files and withdraws tax liens, and to the dollar amounts that trigger the issuance of a lien.—
Deane Biermeier,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As tensions escalate into violence, Tina retreats into the basement, seeking refuge from the chaos above.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The unconscious Moon retreats through your 12th House of Peace, trining take-charge Saturn in your 4th House of Care along the way.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The discovery comes too late as Thompson pulls out his gun and fires three times into Vance's chest before being shot dead by arriving agents Parker and Timothy McGee (Sean Murray).—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
At the Kyiv Sea, someone pulls out a DJ controller and throws a party for the whole district.—
Daria Kolomiec,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Too flat and your head drops back; too thick and your chin juts forward.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
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If your head drops back or your chin pushes forward, the pillow height is wrong.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Or at least a crossroads, with numerous immediate needs and plenty others that have to be reconciled sooner than later as more contracts come to an end and Travis Kelce likely retires after this season.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Without it, Tillis could keep Warsh in limbo until the senator retires from Congress in January.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Falls back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falls%20back. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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