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
Goldberg said as the audience cheered over the news, eventually falling back in her chair in shock.
—
Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026
That’s because of a myriad of actions, including countries falling back on their emergency oil reserves.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 10 June 2026
As with prior election denial efforts, MAGA is hanging their red hat on the fact that their candidate seemed to be doing better earlier on before falling back as votes continued to be counted.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
Chuck reveled in calling himself the mayor of the townsite, including its numerous log cabins, all in various states of falling back to the earth.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
Lee also had a solid showing at last week’s CIF Southern Section Individual Final, quickly getting to 2 under and staying near the top of the leaderboard before falling back to even par to finish in a tie for 26th place.
—Matt Wagner, Daily News, 29 May 2026
MacKinnon initially crumpled to the ice in pain after blocking the shot, briefly getting to one knee and clearing the puck out of the defensive zone before falling back to the ice.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 25 May 2026
After a couple of minutes, the booster separated with Starship, falling back to Earth to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico as planned a few minutes later.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 22 May 2026
Roth told me about growing above criticism and falling back in love with Divergent.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 12 May 2026
Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026
That’s because of a myriad of actions, including countries falling back on their emergency oil reserves.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 10 June 2026
As with prior election denial efforts, MAGA is hanging their red hat on the fact that their candidate seemed to be doing better earlier on before falling back as votes continued to be counted.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
Chuck reveled in calling himself the mayor of the townsite, including its numerous log cabins, all in various states of falling back to the earth.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
Lee also had a solid showing at last week’s CIF Southern Section Individual Final, quickly getting to 2 under and staying near the top of the leaderboard before falling back to even par to finish in a tie for 26th place.
—Matt Wagner, Daily News, 29 May 2026
MacKinnon initially crumpled to the ice in pain after blocking the shot, briefly getting to one knee and clearing the puck out of the defensive zone before falling back to the ice.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 25 May 2026
After a couple of minutes, the booster separated with Starship, falling back to Earth to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico as planned a few minutes later.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 22 May 2026
Roth told me about growing above criticism and falling back in love with Divergent.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling back
Verb
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Beaming for the cameras, the two exchanged a warm, firm handshake before retreating from the public eye and into the confines of the Russian presidential limousine for a private, hour-long discussion.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
3 Dec. 2025
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Lenders are retreating, property values are falling and construction is stalling.—
Joy Chen,
Mercury News,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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After battling through injury during Saturday's third round at the RBC Canadian Open, Brooks Koepka opted not to give it a go in the final round, ultimately withdrawing from the PGA Tour event on Sunday morning.—
Mark Harris,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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On Wednesday afternoon, Robert Reeve, attorney for Noble, notified Farmington his client was withdrawing the plan.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The video, with no audio, showed a man identified by police as Stines pulling out a gun and shooting at the judge, who was seated at his desk.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
11 Dec. 2025
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The thought of pulling out crosses my mind more than a few times.—
Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou,
CNN Money,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Despite the carnage, traders aren't backing away from this space.—
Tyler Bailey,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
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Instead, officials advised making loud noises, making your body appear bigger while slowly backing away, and calling 911 immediately if a person is attacked.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
Verb
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In 2018, Rita Ferro succeeded the retiring Erhardt as the ESPN sales boss under a new title (president, Disney ad sales).—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
16 June 2026
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Dominic Murphy, who has spent two decades investigating such activities — including previous high-profile attacks — and who oversaw the initial investigation into the fires before retiring in March.—
Emma Burrows,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Falling back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20back. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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