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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of falling back
The price of the international benchmark for oil, Brent crude, rose to more than $126 a barrel at one point overnight — the highest since 2022, when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine — before falling back to around $114 a barrel early Thursday.
—
Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
Baker either avoided directly answering any questions related to the Massachusetts political arena, falling back on his new role at the NCAA for taking him away from the Bay State.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The Citi team, led by Max Layton and Francisco Martoccia, would then see Brent crude prices averaging around $110 this quarter before falling back to $80 in the fourth quarter.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
While the monologue was a blast of fresh chaos (or at least the sense of chaos) with Black jamming out with White, the rest of the show didn’t have the same kind of verve, falling back on familiar sketch formulas.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Another one is about leftover debris from the original stellar collision slowly falling back onto the star over millions of years.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 Apr. 2026
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
Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
Baker either avoided directly answering any questions related to the Massachusetts political arena, falling back on his new role at the NCAA for taking him away from the Bay State.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The Citi team, led by Max Layton and Francisco Martoccia, would then see Brent crude prices averaging around $110 this quarter before falling back to $80 in the fourth quarter.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
While the monologue was a blast of fresh chaos (or at least the sense of chaos) with Black jamming out with White, the rest of the show didn’t have the same kind of verve, falling back on familiar sketch formulas.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Another one is about leftover debris from the original stellar collision slowly falling back onto the star over millions of years.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling back
Verb
-
Your husband has a long history of crossing the line and then retreating back just far enough that there’s an illusion of change.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Chrysler, facing financial pressure, rushed to graft increasingly conventional grilles onto the rounded nose, retreating year by year from the very aerodynamic principles that made the car more efficient.—
Bill Gourgey,
Popular Science,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Since 2016, federal officials allege, Meade has been trying to avoid paying the tax obligation through a number of tactics, which include withdrawing large sums of cash and purchasing cashier’s checks from his business accounts.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Legitimate companies do not walk you through withdrawing cash, using crypto ATMs or buying gold to solve a problem.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The teams met twice this season, with CCA pulling out wins of 10-8 and 9-9 and winning the overall games, 87 to 79.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Charged with pulling out of Mary the hurt inside, Coel exquisitely performs the task with the precision of an elite surgeon.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
Her announcement touched off a new round of progressive candidates backing away from the Iron Dome.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Video footage from the apartment complex showed Kirkland speaking to several people in the Jeep before backing away and collapsing, the court document said.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Castillo needed 30 pitches to get out of the inning, but limited the damage by retiring Buxton on a pop fly, leaving the bases loaded.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Since retiring in 2022, she's been an outspoken advocate for mothers in professional sports and beyond.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Falling back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20back. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
