FELL BACK Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

fell back

verb

past tense of fall back

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell back

Verb

Being part of a dominant defense was one reason players like Camon withdrew from the NCAA transfer portal.

— Gerald Thomas III, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
Wendy’s withdrew its 2026 financial outlook and cut its quarterly dividend to 7 cents a share.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of withdrew

Verb

First Up Shares of Moderna retreated by nearly 24% Thursday on the heels of their record-setting 176% stock surge, which was prompted by promising news of their personalized cancer vaccine.

— Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Some still laden with weapons, the ships belonged to Nazi Germany's Black Sea fleet that was deliberately sunk near the end of the war as German troops retreated from Romania and Soviet forces advanced deeper into Europe.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of retreated

Verb

Muriel Gonzalez, president of The Vitamin Shoppe, has retired from the health and wellness specialty chain , WWD has learned.

— David Moin, Footwear News, 23 Aug. 2026
His work complete, Gorman retired with Brind’Amour’s blessing and is now figuring out what’s next.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of retired

Verb

The 24-year-old Italian pulled out of this week’s Cincinnati Open with the same issue, and has been undergoing medical tests in Milan and Turin throughout August to assess its severity.

— James Hansen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Defender Maxwell Woledzi scored two minutes into second-half stoppage time and MLS-leading Nashville SC pulled out a 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of pulled out

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Browse Nearby Words

fell away

fell back

fell back on

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“Fell back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell%20back. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of fell back

verb

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