drop back

verb

Definition of drop backnext
as in to withdraw
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable) a change in the wind direction forced the firefighters to drop back

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of drop back Pressing from the front, dropping back to help his defence and running beyond City’s last line were all on show on Sunday, making Szobozslai a strong contender for player of the match. — Sam Lee, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025 His struggles continued at the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets in 2024, and Cartaya was dropped back down to Tulsa midway through the season. — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 4 Jan. 2025 But fast forward two months and Windows 10 has recovered around 3% as Windows 11 has dropped back down towards 34%. — Zak Doffman, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025 At times, James also looked confused as to whether to push ahead or drop back and protect his defence, which contributed to Villa’s midfield dictating proceedings. — Simon Johnson, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drop back
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drop back
  1. withdraw
  2. retreat
  3. fall back
  4. pull out
  5. retire
Verb
  • Kim was scheduled to face Eduarda Moura in her UFC debut in November 2023, but the former withdrew.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The annual auto auction in Canada confirmed Tesla received multiple opportunities to voluntarily withdraw from the event due to safety concerns.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of withdraw
Verb
  • The document laid out plans for the Polish army to retreat westward to the Vistula River, which runs through the center of Poland, in case of an invasion from the east by Russia.
    — arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2025
  • But Newsom appears to have fully retreated on trans-inclusive athletics, conceding to right-wing propagandists Charlie Kirk and Michael Savage without a fuss in the first two episodes of Newsom’s podcast earlier this month.
    — Samantha Riedel, Them, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of retreat
Verb
  • Powell added that the Federal Reserve still expects inflation to fall back to its target of 2 percent by the end of next year and that Trump's tariff plans will result in a temporary increase in prices rather than causing sustained inflation.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
  • But any stock build-up in the supply chain could drive an initial bump in sales for big producers, which will fall back as customers normalise their levels, Fitch Ratings said.
    — Emma Rumney, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of fall back
Verb
  • Here come the Royals When the A’s pulled out, Kansas City moved quickly to retain its major-league status.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Gaga has typically been the lead on their duets, but here, Bennett pulls out his best vocal performance on the album.
    — Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of pull out
Verb
  • Rockwool Denmark retired on Day 1 after a collision during the opening race.
    — Christina House, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have retired and Djokovic’s sand timer is running out of grain.
    — Tim Ellis, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of retire

Browse Nearby Words

drop a dime (on)
drop back
drop behind
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drop back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drop%20back. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on drop back

Nglish: Translation of drop back for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

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

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All