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
-
In January, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger also withdrew from West African regional bloc Ecowas, having earlier formed their own Alliance of Sahel States grouping.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025 -
Trump withdrew from the council during his first term, but former President Joe Biden signed the United States back on after his 2020 victory.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While early Labuschagne drove beautifully through the covers and whipped the ball firmly through midwicket, the more recent iteration seemed to have retreated, his mindset becoming defensive.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Soria has retreated from Nepal’s Dhaulagiri a staggering 14 times.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Not only have none retired from international football particularly early, but the ones who did give it up — Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Toni Kroos — reversed their decision and came back to it anyway.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Phil Danaher, the winningest coach in Texas high school football history, retired with 490 wins.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tyquan Thornton dropped back to fourth on the depth chart with Xavier Worthy’s return, but Thornton still led Kansas City in receiving yards (90) and should continue to have a role in the offense moving forward.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Oct. 2025
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Applications to refinance a home loan, which rose sharply in mid-September and then dropped back again two weeks ago, fell further last week, down 8%.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Her home was a place where the dining table seemed to stretch forever, with card tables pulled out and set up to accommodate everyone.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
8 Oct. 2025
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The Sonata pulled out in front of the Palisade, then the Palisade hit the Sonata in the intersection, the investigation found.—
Jillian Frankel,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Fell back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell%20back. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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