as in withdrawn
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
resistance from native forces was greater than expected, and the invading army was forced to fall back
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Recent Examples of fallen back
The Utes have fallen back from their original jump now that their UCLA win isn’t valuable anymore.
—
Chris Vannini, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
By July, sentiment had recovered, and stock market volatility (the VIX) had fallen back well below the 5-year and 10-year averages.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
But as the 21-year-old surges, another Red Sox outfielder has fallen back into a brutal slump.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
By the mid-1980s, inflation had fallen back into the low single digits.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
Chris Vannini, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
By July, sentiment had recovered, and stock market volatility (the VIX) had fallen back well below the 5-year and 10-year averages.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
But as the 21-year-old surges, another Red Sox outfielder has fallen back into a brutal slump.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
By the mid-1980s, inflation had fallen back into the low single digits.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallen back
Verb
-
Volunteers became depressed, irritable, anxious, and withdrawn.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Jeffrey Rignall died in 2000 In the wake of Gacy’s attack, Rignall became depressed and withdrawn, suffering from bouts of vomiting and losing nearly 40 pounds, per The Courier Journal.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Veteran journalist Deborah Norville — who retired from Inside Edition in May after serving as the anchor of the news magazine for 30 years — will also be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
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The legendary Nick Saban retired from coaching following the conclusion of the 2023 season, handing the keys to the Alabama Crimson Tide program to Kalen DeBoer after leading the team to six national championships during his tenure.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While early Labuschagne drove beautifully through the covers and whipped the ball firmly through midwicket, the more recent iteration seemed to have retreated, his mindset becoming defensive.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Soria has retreated from Nepal’s Dhaulagiri a staggering 14 times.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tyquan Thornton dropped back to fourth on the depth chart with Xavier Worthy’s return, but Thornton still led Kansas City in receiving yards (90) and should continue to have a role in the offense moving forward.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Oct. 2025
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Applications to refinance a home loan, which rose sharply in mid-September and then dropped back again two weeks ago, fell further last week, down 8%.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lamarr said Wilks then pulled out a firearm and struck the off-duty officer with it, an act also captured on camera.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
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In do-or-die Game 5, Milwaukee pulled out the victory at home.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fallen back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallen%20back. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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