FALLING BACK Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

falling back

verb

present participle of fall back

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 rocket soared to an altitude of about 65 miles before falling back to Earth. — Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026 Apple's market value briefly surpassed Nvidia in July, before falling back below. — Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 The song ended with Gigi Hadid emerging on stage and having a sweet moment with McRae, who strutted side-by-side with the veteran VS Angel for a few beats before falling back and finishing out the track. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026 Brent crude peaked at nearly $106 per barrel yesterday before falling back to $102 this morning. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 And after falling back slightly this week, bond yields are on the rise again. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026 Bond yields offered some slack on Tuesday after falling back from their highest levels in years or even decades. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 The risk of debris falling back to Earth and harming someone or something is slim but not zero. — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026 The youngest brother of Daniel, William and Alec Baldwin characterized at least part of his falling back from Hollywood as a way to free himself from industry expectations. — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling back

Verb

Many have reacted by retreating, focusing on cultivating niche audiences.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Longtime collaborator Erik Blood foregrounds Butler’s dry drum machines in the mix, letting every other element shuffle around them, snaking toward the spotlight for a brief moment and retreating back into the brume.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of retreating

Verb

In these situations, withdrawing into a literal or symbolic dark room—avoiding sources of stress and going to a safe place—can be adaptive in the short term.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
After two decades of war, the US military was withdrawing from Afghanistan, and Kabul was falling.

— Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of withdrawing

Verb

National groups from both parties began pulling out of the race earlier this month, signaling that both now view the contest as less competitive than previously thought.

— Josephine Murphy, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
As good as Oliver Stone is at pulling out incredible performances from his male stars, the same isn’t always true for his leading ladies.

— Michael Douglas, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of pulling out

Verb

The Crimson Tide are 5-2 for the season, dropping back-to-back games against Georgia and Tennessee.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Seattle accomplishes this by masterfully disguising defensive assignments before the snap, which can force Mahomes to diagnose where to go with the football only after dropping back.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of dropping back

Verb

The mission will arrive at the moons in 2027, spend two years mapping Phobos and selecting a landing site for sampling before backing away to observe Deimos.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Instead of literally backing away, in this example, the person metaphorically backs away by completing the session and exiting as expected without further conflict.

— Michele Patterson Ford, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of backing away

Verb

Both Collins and Manchin — who represented deep-red West Virginia in the Senate before leaving the Democratic Party and retiring in 2024 — have a history of clashing with their respective parties.

— Taurean Small, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Outgoing ranking members Angie Craig of Minnesota and Nydia Velázquez of New York are also behind, though retiring members and frontliners generally don’t pay dues in full.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of retiring

Browse Nearby Words

falling away

falling back

falling back on

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Falling back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20back. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of falling back

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes