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

A fall back below that support level could “reinforce the bearish structure” and so Ceresna suggests opening an option trade called a bear put spread, to capture a modest further fall for the stock.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

A lot of people fall back on these ideas about immigrant communities being all hard work and drudgery — but we come from a festive, dance-fueled culture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

"We want to create a comprehensive, transparent, reliable framework that publishers and authors can fall back on," Esme Dennys, the initiative's co-founder, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

The hope was that tensions would ease and oil prices fall back but that hasn’t been the case in recent months, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Both horses reared and liked to fall back on Lloyd and Dad.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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Related Words

• recede
• withdraw

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