fallback

1 of 2

noun

fall·​back ˈfȯl-ˌbak 

1

: something on which one can fall back : reserve

—often used attributively

a fallback career

a fallback position

2

: a falling back : retreat

3

: something that falls back

the fallback from an explosion

fall back

2 of 2

verb

fell back; fallen back; falling back; falls back

intransitive verb

: retreat, recede

Phrases

fall back on or fall back upon

: to have recourse to

had to fall back on their reserves

Synonyms

Verb

• back away
• drop back
• pull out
• recede
• retire
• retreat
• withdraw

Examples of fallback in a Sentence

Verb

resistance from native forces was greater than expected, and the invading army was forced to fall back

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While trained on proprietary organizational data, the chatbot faced two critical limitations during beta testing: hallucinations — producing incorrect responses when queries exceeded its training scope — and the absence of human fallback mechanisms. —Anisha Sircar, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Now, that fallback option is at risk of disappearing, and European leaders cannot simply shift the blame for their predicament to Washington. —Norbert Röttgen, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2024

Verb

This is a role without precedent, for which judges are poorly equipped and apt to fall back on their ideological predilections. —The Editors, National Review, 5 Dec. 2024

The data shows the euro area economy fell back into contraction in November as business activity levels decreased at the fastest pace since January due to a decline in services output, S&P Global said. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1607, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fall back

verb

: retreat entry 2 sense 1