fall back

Speech parts

1. fall back - Noun

2. fall back - Verb

Meaning

hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc.

retreat

go back to bad behavior

move back and away from

fall backwards and down

have recourse to

Source: WordNet

Alternative names

fall-back

Synonyms

recede dawdle retreat lag relapse recur ebb regress fall behind dally bolt ret escape withdraw trail
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Antonyms

approach gain advance progress boost amplify
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Hypernyms

use return follow apply retreat employ

Hyponyms

drag trail ebb drop behind get behind hang back

Examples

The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor. Albert Camus

The depth and strength of a human character are defined by its moral reserves. People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life, for only then do they have to fall back on their reserves. Leon Trotsky

In ancient times they had no statistics so they had to fall back on lies. Stephen Leacock

A lot of parents tell their children that if they want to be an actor, that's fine, but they should do something else first, so they've got something to fall back on. It doesn't work like that, as far as I'm concerned. Ewan McGregor

He who spits in the air will have it fall back on his face. Mexican Proverb

However smart a squirrel jumps, in the end they fall back down. Indonesian Proverb

Close letter words and terms

fall at the final hurdle fall at the last hurdle fall away fall back from fall back into fall back on