as in withdrawing
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
a change in the wind direction forced the firefighters to drop back
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Recent Examples of dropping back
The Griz constantly pumps the rod to get his bait darting forward and then dropping back.
—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
18 June 2026
Attempts to do so led to Martinez’s side often dropping back and playing quick passes to wingers making runs in behind.
—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
18 June 2026
The descent comes by bicycle, dropping back through emerald rice terraces and village lanes as the island wakes up around you.
—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
23 May 2026
When opening an app, the CPU would spike to 96% before dropping back to more pedestrian 17% usage after a couple of seconds.
—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
The Padres won the final two games in San Francisco to win the series, their first after dropping back-to-back series to the Cubs and White Sox.
—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
The warm weather will last through the week before dropping back into more seasonable highs in the 50s and 60s over the weekend.
—
Kylee Miller,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Many of Joseph’s current defensive principles — disguising blitzers indistinguishably from players dropping back into coverage — are similar to what Cincinnati did a decade ago, under defensive coordinator Guenther.
—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
The Longhorns are the one team in the Final Four that has had a two-game losing streak, dropping back-to-back games to LSU and South Carolina in mid-January.
—
David Brandt,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
18 June 2026
Attempts to do so led to Martinez’s side often dropping back and playing quick passes to wingers making runs in behind.
—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
18 June 2026
The descent comes by bicycle, dropping back through emerald rice terraces and village lanes as the island wakes up around you.
—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
23 May 2026
When opening an app, the CPU would spike to 96% before dropping back to more pedestrian 17% usage after a couple of seconds.
—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
The Padres won the final two games in San Francisco to win the series, their first after dropping back-to-back series to the Cubs and White Sox.
—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
The warm weather will last through the week before dropping back into more seasonable highs in the 50s and 60s over the weekend.
—
Kylee Miller,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Many of Joseph’s current defensive principles — disguising blitzers indistinguishably from players dropping back into coverage — are similar to what Cincinnati did a decade ago, under defensive coordinator Guenther.
—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
The Longhorns are the one team in the Final Four that has had a two-game losing streak, dropping back-to-back games to LSU and South Carolina in mid-January.
—
David Brandt,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dropping back
Verb
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While conventional wisdom had long been that consumers should build up a certain level of savings — six months' worth of living expenses, for example — those who study the accounts now consider saving to be a dynamic process of paying in, withdrawing, and then replenishing.
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The military held a similar security strip from 1985 until 2000, before withdrawing after years of steady casualties, a toll that is accumulating once again.
Verb
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Rather than retreating into defensive shape after losing possession, teams are immediately attempting to recover the ball high up the pitch.
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Officials said the dog's owner attempted to use bear spray while retreating from the area but was unsuccessful.
Verb
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But now Swift is falling back to Earth on a trajectory at an increasing rate and will burn up in our atmosphere soon, if nothing is done.
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SpaceX posted huge gains after a record-breaking IPO on June 12, briefly surpassing Amazon and Microsoft in market capitalization, before falling back below both as sentiment cooled.
Verb
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Kramer agreed, crediting facility partners at Sporting Kansas City, the KC Current, the University of Kansas and the $20-million Swope Soccer Village for pulling out the stops to attract the world’s best teams.
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An unidentified man wearing blue basketball shorts and a Knicks hat was spotted in a video obtained by ABC News getting down on one knee, pulling out a red box and holding up a ring.
Verb
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With sunbeams gleaming downward, reflecting off of the spacecraft's hull, the Dragon can be seen backing away from the station mere moments after undocking from the port on the station's Harmony module.
-
Big Oil is not backing away from renewables because the energy transition has stopped.
Verb
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Two Latinos are running in this year’s election to replace Councilmember Curren Price, who is Black and retiring after serving the maximum three terms.
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Assistant County Administrator Bridgette Cobbins, who has worked for the Unified Government for three decades, is also retiring.
Cite this Entry
“Dropping back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dropping%20back. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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