FELL BACK Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

fell back

verb

past tense of fall back

as in withdrew

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell back

Verb

Being part of a dominant defense was one reason players like Camon withdrew from the NCAA transfer portal.

— Gerald Thomas III, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
Wendy’s withdrew its 2026 financial outlook and cut its quarterly dividend to 7 cents a share.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of withdrew

Verb

While that unfolded, Justin Crawford retreated to the Phillies dugout.

— Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
When the Hills couple faced financial issues after the show ended, the two retreated to Pratt’s parents’ beach home in Carpinteria, California, to get back to regular life.

— Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of retreated

Verb

The insider suggested that Anne will likely follow in the footsteps of her late father, Prince Philip, who retired from official royal engagements at 96 years old.

— Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 16 Aug. 2026
Cameron retired his first 15 batters before issuing a leadoff walk to Oswald Peraza in the sixth.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of retired

Verb

The 24-year-old Italian pulled out of this week’s Cincinnati Open with the same issue, and has been undergoing medical tests in Milan and Turin throughout August to assess its severity.

— James Hansen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Defender Maxwell Woledzi scored two minutes into second-half stoppage time and MLS-leading Nashville SC pulled out a 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of pulled out

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

fell away

fell back

fell back on

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fell back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell%20back. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fell back

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

august

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes