fall back

verb

1. to recede or retreat

2. to have recourse (to)

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

Idioms and Phrases

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]

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

Related Words

• recede 
• withdraw