fall back

British  

verb

1. to recede or retreat

2. to have recourse (to)

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noun

1. a retreat

2. a reserve, esp money, that can be called upon in need

3. 1. anything to which one can have recourse as a second choice

   2. ( as modifier )

      a fall-back position

fall back Idioms  

1. Give ground, retreat, as in The troops fell back before the relentless enemy assault , or He stuck to his argument, refusing to fall back . [c. 1600]

2. Recede, as in The waves fell back from the shore . [c. 1800]

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Example Sentences

The question is whether it’s a pause or a more sustained fall back down to Earth.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Since the S&P 500’s price-to-earnings ratio currently is near the high end of its historical range, it’s optimistic to assume it won’t fall back.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

And Meta, unlike its big-tech peers, has little to fall back on if that ad business reaches its limits.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

It depends on China for 75% of its fertiliser and has almost no domestic production to fall back on.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Taran saw Morgant fall back in astonishment, then draw his sword.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

Related Words

• recede
• withdraw