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
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
By waiving Achiuwa before the start of the regular season, the Heat falls back under the luxury tax threshold.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Even if Showgirl falls back tonight and comes out in the high $20Ms (no one is expecting that number), so what?
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2025
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
By waiving Achiuwa before the start of the regular season, the Heat falls back under the luxury tax threshold.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Even if Showgirl falls back tonight and comes out in the high $20Ms (no one is expecting that number), so what?
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falls back
Verb
-
If the Pentagon withdraws support, the Scouts would have to scramble to replace medical care, transportation and other emergency services.—
Graham Smith,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2026
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Antonio Delgado withdraws from New York governor race after Mamdani backs Hochul.—
,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But the novel ultimately retreats from these complicating questions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
But the novel ultimately retreats from these complicating questions.—
Sarah Chihaya,
New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At the Kyiv Sea, someone pulls out a DJ controller and throws a party for the whole district.—
Daria Kolomiec,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Later in the film, as Cristian’s father disappears for long stretches of time seeking temporary work, Cristian pulls out a child-sized onesie from the closet in Olga’s guest room; her face collapses, her reaction indicating some palpable trauma the filmmaker doesn’t deign to overexplain.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 54-year-old comedian with a beard full of gray stubble drops back to pass, launching a tight spiral underneath SoFi’s massive technicolor halo scoreboard hovering above a sea of empty stands.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on November 16, 2025.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Colleen retires this month as the executive director and general counsel of the Freedom of Information Commission, hanging up her battle gear.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
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It has also been used when a player retires at a young age without getting an unconditional release, but then returns to playing.—
Ed Guzman,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Falls back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falls%20back. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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