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

After that it can be just as quick, and often simpler, to stay on course around the Moon and fall back to Earth, Orion programme manager Howard Hu said before the launch.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Norris never had that to fall back on.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

This higher price equilibrium reflects lingering concerns among some analysts that the Strait of Hormuz will need to be fully opened for oil prices to fall back to levels seen before the Iran war began.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

But when times get tough, Ukrainians can still fall back to the village.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

I tapped my fingers on the desktop, preferring to fall back into my daydream of an earlier time filled with raised hands, muffled giggles, lessons yet to be learned, and lives yet to be lived.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

Related Words

• recede
• withdraw