fall back on

Idioms  

1. Also, fall back upon. Rely on, have recourse to, as in I fall back on old friends in time of need, or When he lost his job he had to fall back upon his savings. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fall back on

A winning percentage short of 60% over nearly four years in charge and only fleeting success in implementing a more ambitious, expansive gameplan leaves little goodwill to fall back on.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Like many South Africans, most workers in the area live hand-to-mouth, with no savings to fall back on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

"When panicked, people fall back on their instinctive responses, and don't read small print in a dark and possibly smoke-filled cabin."

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

The most obvious drawback is that you’ll have less money to fall back on.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

At this point, zero out of the two are complete—and I don’t even have an excuse to fall back on.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer