fall back

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fall back

verb falls back · falling back · fell back · fallen back

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see fall, back.
To retreat. The bugler [Triton] obeyed, and putting the shell to his lips he blew from his puffed cheeks such a blast that at the sound of it all the waves and rivers fell back and left the land high and dry.
Similar: ebb, ebb away, recede, retreat
To fail to fulfill a promise or purpose.
To turn the clocks back for the end of daylight saving time.

Translations

Every language

verb to retreat

Español	retirar, retroceder, retirarse
Français	se replier, se rabattre
Русский	отступать otstupatʹ, отступить otstupitʹ

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MLA

"fall back." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fall%20back. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

fall back. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20back

Chicago

"fall back." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20back.

BibTeX

@misc{fall_back_2026,
  title = {fall back},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20back},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}