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

The twist is that lithium prices have recently fallen back to about $23,000 a ton.

From Barron's

I squawk, nearly falling back into the lake.

From Literature

Gold surged past the $5,000 per ounce mark for the first time on Monday and briefly hit $5,500, falling back slightly in recent days.

From BBC

Geopolitical threats continue in the background, though oil fell back from highs hit Thursday amid a building U.S. navy presence in the Middle East.

From The Wall Street Journal

In his video to Target staff this week, Fiddelke acknowledged the tumult engulfing the company’s hometown before falling back on the familiar language of the joint letter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• recede
• withdraw