as in withdrew
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell back
Verb
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Trump withdrew from the JCPOA agreement in 2018, during his first term as president.
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The Arkansas Department of Education first released a set of draft rules in November but withdrew them after the proposal drew hundreds of critical comments from parents and others for being too restrictive.
Verb
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Oil prices retreated to around $80 a barrel on Friday, down from a peak of $118 in March when the war was at its height.
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The officer retreated and fired several shots, killing the dog and injuring its owner, who was trying to secure the animal, police said.
Verb
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Ashcraft eventually settled in and retired the last 10 batters.
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Opener Casey Legumina retired the first four batters before Ian Seymour (4-1) took over in the second inning.
Verb
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Edge rusher Jalyx Hunt said cornerback Kelee Ringo shouted out a signal to him before the snap, and Hunt dropped back into coverage and snagged Dalton’s throw.
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The odds of the Clarity Act being passed this year have dropped back from almost 70% on the Polymarket prediction platform, falling to just over 50%.
Verb
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Room had a big game with more than a dozen saves; his wife, his wife pulled out the list of haters and went on the attack.
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The world’s second-largest consumer of crude oil, China, has pulled out all the stops to preserve supplies as the war in Iran has cut off access to more than 11 million barrels of oil per day.
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Cite this Entry
“Fell back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell%20back. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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