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
But now Swift is falling back to Earth on a trajectory at an increasing rate and will burn up in our atmosphere soon, if nothing is done.
—
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
26 June 2026
SpaceX posted huge gains after a record-breaking IPO on June 12, briefly surpassing Amazon and Microsoft in market capitalization, before falling back below both as sentiment cooled.
—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
And long-term oil prices, which is the biggest influence on the price of gas, don’t show signs of falling back below the pre-war $70 a barrel level any time before the next decade.
—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
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
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
26 June 2026
SpaceX posted huge gains after a record-breaking IPO on June 12, briefly surpassing Amazon and Microsoft in market capitalization, before falling back below both as sentiment cooled.
—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
And long-term oil prices, which is the biggest influence on the price of gas, don’t show signs of falling back below the pre-war $70 a barrel level any time before the next decade.
—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling back
Verb
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Rather than retreating into defensive shape after losing possession, teams are immediately attempting to recover the ball high up the pitch.
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Officials said the dog's owner attempted to use bear spray while retreating from the area but was unsuccessful.
Verb
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Serena Williams is withdrawing from Wimbledon doubles competition after injuring her knee at the tournament earlier this week.
-
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee Wednesday, the labor leader behind Proposition 40 accused Newsom of failing to propose any alternative ahead of the June 25 deadline for withdrawing ballot measures.
Verb
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Kramer agreed, crediting facility partners at Sporting Kansas City, the KC Current, the University of Kansas and the $20-million Swope Soccer Village for pulling out the stops to attract the world’s best teams.
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An unidentified man wearing blue basketball shorts and a Knicks hat was spotted in a video obtained by ABC News getting down on one knee, pulling out a red box and holding up a ring.
Verb
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The Dream fell to the Seattle Storm 105-90 on Saturday after dropping back-to-back games to the Golden State Valkyries — 77-66 on June 24 and 78-75 on June 26.
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The Griz constantly pumps the rod to get his bait darting forward and then dropping back.
Verb
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With sunbeams gleaming downward, reflecting off of the spacecraft's hull, the Dragon can be seen backing away from the station mere moments after undocking from the port on the station's Harmony module.
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Big Oil is not backing away from renewables because the energy transition has stopped.
Verb
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Two Latinos are running in this year’s election to replace Councilmember Curren Price, who is Black and retiring after serving the maximum three terms.
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Assistant County Administrator Bridgette Cobbins, who has worked for the Unified Government for three decades, is also retiring.
Cite this Entry
“Falling back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20back. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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