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

Holtec Nuclear withdrew its IPO earlier this month citing adverse market sentiment in equity markets.

— Kai Nicol-Schwarz,April Roach, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Burke Law Group withdrew from consideration for the contract after lawmakers and advocacy groups raised concerns that the firm did not have experience representing migrant children.

— Laura Romero, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of withdrew

Verb

On Friday, stocks rallied as yields retreated, following a surprisingly weak September jobs report that suggested the Federal Reserve may stay on hold at this month’s policy meeting.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
The militant group took over roughly one-third of Iraq after key Iraqi army divisions collapsed and retreated in the onslaught.

— Jane Arraf, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of retreated

Verb

Romo, a four-time Pro Bowler, retired from the NFL in 2017 after 14 years as a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

— Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
In fact, since Solomon became CEO, Goldman has retired over 21% of its total share count, significantly more than its competitors.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of retired

Verb

Then Underwood dropped back, stepped up, rolled right and threw a long touchdown pass to Buchanan for a 19-14 lead.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026
Local favorite Tom Vaillant, a two-time winner on the smaller Alps Tour but still looking for his first European tour title, started the day second but dropped back to finish joint-third along with three other players after a final-day 70.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of dropped back

Verb

The 37-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, later pulled over on the side of the interstate, got out of his car and pulled out a gun, police said.

— Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
One advantage of using orbital data instead of moon rocks is that the samples were pulled out of their geological context more than 50 years ago, according to Mittelholz.

— Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fell back

verb

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