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

See Examples For:

fall back

At least men can always fall back on suits, he says.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

These streams of cooler gas may then fall back toward the galaxy's center and replenish the black hole's fuel supply.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026

Some potential buyers are finding that they don’t want to, or can’t keep waiting for rates to fall back to the sub-3% levels from the pandemic era.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

We fall back in love with the city through Gail and Otto’s excitement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Mr. Trepid gathered a handful of stones and let them fall back on the bedspread, where they scattered like colorful raindrops.

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech

Related Words

• recede
• withdraw