as in withdrawn
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 fallen back
While Monday’s state average had fallen back slightly, AAA stated there are no signs of price rises slowing, with a 22-cent climb since last week.
—
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
In early trading Monday morning, both indexes had fallen back slightly.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
For instance, the aluminum could have exploded out of the supernova, while the iron — coming from deeper in the star’s core — could have fallen back into the dead star.
—James Dinneen, Quanta Magazine, 2 Mar. 2026
These two teams have been Super Bowl contenders for years thanks to MVP-winning quarterbacks, though both have fallen back a bit (especially Baltimore).
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Over the past year, McDonnell has fallen back on the message that the LAPD has a long-standing policy of not getting involved in civil immigration enforcement.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
One thing Grande isn’t showing signs of slowing down on in the near future is acting, having fallen back in love with the artform through her time on the Wicked set.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2026
Giovanna had fallen back asleep.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
The city’s vacancy rate has fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, and new housing construction is at its weakest pace in a decade, the report added.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
In early trading Monday morning, both indexes had fallen back slightly.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
For instance, the aluminum could have exploded out of the supernova, while the iron — coming from deeper in the star’s core — could have fallen back into the dead star.
—James Dinneen, Quanta Magazine, 2 Mar. 2026
These two teams have been Super Bowl contenders for years thanks to MVP-winning quarterbacks, though both have fallen back a bit (especially Baltimore).
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Over the past year, McDonnell has fallen back on the message that the LAPD has a long-standing policy of not getting involved in civil immigration enforcement.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
One thing Grande isn’t showing signs of slowing down on in the near future is acting, having fallen back in love with the artform through her time on the Wicked set.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2026
Giovanna had fallen back asleep.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
The city’s vacancy rate has fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, and new housing construction is at its weakest pace in a decade, the report added.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallen back
Verb
-
White parents had withdrawn every other child from the school.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
According to the notice on Tuesday, the new charter has been withdrawn for not following a federal requirement on public notification.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Globally, 60% of outgoing CFOs retired or moved to the board in Q1, up from 56% the same time last year and well above the seven-year Q1 average of 39%.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
-
Lavonte David retired after 14 seasons.—
Rick Stroud,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
In fact, the company had filed papers twice before but then retreated from the idea as different private equity investors came forward to further fund the company.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
-
The crossover funds retreated when the market corrected.—
Harlem Capital,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Once the clearance dropped back toward the edge of the area, however, his focus immediately shifted from defending the cross to protecting the goal.—
Matt Pyzdrowski,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
-
The price later dropped back down.—
Tiago Ventura,
Time,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Still, dozens of drivers crept around the lot, hoping to pounce if someone pulled out.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
Last year, the Justice Department pulled out of a Section 2 lawsuit over the voting map for the county's board of commissioners, whose members are all white.—
Hansi Lo Wang,
NPR,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fallen back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallen%20back. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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