as in retreating
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 falling back
Tuesday will be noticeably cooler, with highs falling back into the 40s and low 50s and drier conditions returning late.
—
Joseph Dames, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Blue light suppresses melatonin and makes falling back asleep significantly harder.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
In 2025, things got even worse, with the team falling back to seventh after being overtaken by Williams and the Racing Bulls.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2026
Crude prices shot up above $100 on the news of the attacks before falling back a bit.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to nearly $120 on Monday before falling back but was still at around $90 a barrel on Tuesday, nearly 24% higher than when the war started.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
On Monday, markets swung from big losses to finish the day with gains, while oil prices neared $120 per barrel before falling back to about $90.
—ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
The rocket reached an altitude of 224 miles (360 km) before falling back to Earth.
—Julian Dossett, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Despite a calamitous financial outlook, its share price has shown resiliency — soaring to an all-time high of almost $500 last month before falling back to around $422 this morning after the Q4 reveal.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 29 Jan. 2026
Joseph Dames, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Blue light suppresses melatonin and makes falling back asleep significantly harder.
—Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
In 2025, things got even worse, with the team falling back to seventh after being overtaken by Williams and the Racing Bulls.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2026
Crude prices shot up above $100 on the news of the attacks before falling back a bit.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to nearly $120 on Monday before falling back but was still at around $90 a barrel on Tuesday, nearly 24% higher than when the war started.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
On Monday, markets swung from big losses to finish the day with gains, while oil prices neared $120 per barrel before falling back to about $90.
—ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
The rocket reached an altitude of 224 miles (360 km) before falling back to Earth.
—Julian Dossett, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Despite a calamitous financial outlook, its share price has shown resiliency — soaring to an all-time high of almost $500 last month before falling back to around $422 this morning after the Q4 reveal.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling back
Verb
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Ndiaye also declined to clear the ball, instead trying to thread a pass to retreating teammate Jake Dengler inside the 18-yard box.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Apr. 2026
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Police said security footage from the store shows customers staring and retreating before 53-year-old Tammy Canut of North Huntingdon walks into the frame naked.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Daines later said withdrawing earlier could have enticed a prominent Democrat like Tester to enter the race.—
Kirk Siegler,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Chock and Bates decided not to pursue a fourth straight ice dance world championship, joining Olympic teammate Alysa Liu in withdrawing from the worlds, a common decision for skaters who compete at the Winter Games.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Michigan and Illinois met in the semifinals in 1989, with the Wolverines pulling out a two-point win in a game that featured 33 lead changes.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Clearly, Jenner is known for pulling out all the stops for Halloween.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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Last week, the quarterback shared a video of himself dropping back to throw on his official Instagram account.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In that interaction, forehead-to-forehead with Ayers and then slowly backing away, back to his bench, Hurley never blinked.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2026
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As officers yell for Martinez to stop, Stevens pulls his weapon and rapidly fires three shots through the window before quickly backing away.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Conner Phillips walked Marcell Ozuna and Ryan O'Hearn before retiring three straight for his first career save.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Since retiring from a 25-year career in the Army in 2016, Bennett has been active in local government, first serving as the chief innovation officer for the City of Kansas City until 2019.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Falling back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20back. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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