fall back on

Idioms  

1. Also, fall back upon. Rely on, have recourse to, as in I fall back on old friends in time of need, or When he lost his job he had to fall back upon his savings. [Mid-1800s]

---

Example Sentences

But winters in the Spiti Valley are long and quiet, with little agricultural work to fall back on.

From BBC

"Obviously here I've had great success over the last few years. I can fall back on that tomorrow in any scenario starting out."

From Barron's

I applaud the fact that you are pulling in $250,000 with $3 million in investable assets to fall back on, and $60,000 a year in Social Security benefits.

From MarketWatch

Plus, there’s HBO’s vast library to fall back on.

From MarketWatch

When those precise systems break down, however, cells may fall back on a less reliable emergency option.

From Science Daily