as in withdrawing
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable)
a change in the wind direction forced the firefighters to drop back
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Recent Examples of dropping back
Lefties are also more confident dropping back-foot sliders, added Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder.
—
Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
As moisture increases later this week, a cooling trend will commence with temperatures dropping back into the normal range by Friday.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Six of them could be rushing, or those same six could be dropping back into coverage.
—Omar Kelly
august 5, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2025
Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
As moisture increases later this week, a cooling trend will commence with temperatures dropping back into the normal range by Friday.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Six of them could be rushing, or those same six could be dropping back into coverage.
—Omar Kelly
august 5, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dropping back
Verb
-
The 4% rule traditionally involves withdrawing 4% of a portfolio in the first year of retirement and then adjusting the rate in subsequent years for inflation.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
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The reaction to this was dynamic, which for some meant withdrawing from opportunities and for others contributed to burnout and decisions to leave their jobs altogether.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Schools, churches, small shops that survived the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 are now a pile of rubble, part of the apocalyptic landscape left behind by the retreating forces that control almost all of Haiti’s capital.—
Johnny Fils-Aimé,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Water is rapidly replacing ice along the coastal plain of southeastern Alaska, where glaciers are thinning and retreating, with meltwater forming lakes off of their fronts, NASA says.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ellison briefly became the second-ever person to cross the $400 billion mark, before falling back down to $388 billion by late afternoon.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The initial velocity an object would have to travel at to avoid falling back to the ground is called the escape velocity.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Good on Iain for pulling out two miracles in one show.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
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The crowd in attendance for Wednesday’s feature film was less into gaming and more into mingling and content capturing, many of them pulling out their phones to record the rooftop’s decorations, drink options, seating area and the skyline.—
Joseph Hernandez
August 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Prescott and Carter exchanged words after the opening kickoff, and Carter spit on Prescott’s jersey before backing away.—
Dan Gelston,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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After backing away from a controversial logo rebrand loudly opposed by many right-wing influencers, Cracker Barrel also quietly made changes to its website this week.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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HawaiianMiles joins Atmos Rewards on October 1, officially retiring the legacy program.—
Jeff Fromm,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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JetBlue is retiring the E190s for more fuel-efficient planes with modern amenities.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dropping back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dropping%20back. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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