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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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 dropping back The Longhorns are the one team in the Final Four that has had a two-game losing streak, dropping back-to-back games to LSU and South Carolina in mid-January. —
David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026 Last week, the quarterback shared a video of himself dropping back to throw on his official Instagram account. —Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026 Brent crude oil prices on Thursday briefly topped $119 per barrel before dropping back down. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2026 Tree pollen in Austin is forecast to be very high on Wednesday, then climb to extreme levels Thursday through Saturday, before dropping back to very high on Sunday and Monday. —Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026 Jefferson Lerma performed reasonably well after dropping back from midfield, is strong in the air and offers experience despite it not being his primary position, but his hamstring injury against Burnley on February 11 meant even fewer options. —Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026 As rain begins, temperatures are quickly dropping back into the upper 30s and lower 40s. —Cutter Martin, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026 Sunday will bring a lot of sunshine, but the temperature will reach only about 17 degrees before dropping back into the single digits Sunday night. —Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 6 Feb. 2026 Gold’s price rallied near $5,600 per ounce in the morning before suddenly and briefly dropping back below $5,200. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026 Last week, the quarterback shared a video of himself dropping back to throw on his official Instagram account. —Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026 Brent crude oil prices on Thursday briefly topped $119 per barrel before dropping back down. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2026 Tree pollen in Austin is forecast to be very high on Wednesday, then climb to extreme levels Thursday through Saturday, before dropping back to very high on Sunday and Monday. —Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026 Jefferson Lerma performed reasonably well after dropping back from midfield, is strong in the air and offers experience despite it not being his primary position, but his hamstring injury against Burnley on February 11 meant even fewer options. —Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026 As rain begins, temperatures are quickly dropping back into the upper 30s and lower 40s. —Cutter Martin, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026 Sunday will bring a lot of sunshine, but the temperature will reach only about 17 degrees before dropping back into the single digits Sunday night. —Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 6 Feb. 2026 Gold’s price rallied near $5,600 per ounce in the morning before suddenly and briefly dropping back below $5,200. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dropping back
Verb
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Slovenia began preemptively withdrawing all HiPP products from shelves of Spar and other supermarkets, its health inspectorate said.— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
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After withdrawing their endorsement of Swalwell, the California Teacher’s Association put its support behind Steyer, a sure blow to Porter, who has also sought to win the support of unions.— Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Glaciers all over the world -- especially in Antarctica -- are also retreating at a rapid pace, recent research shows.— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
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The alarmed father then began retreating while shouting for their daughter to drive away.— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Baker either avoided directly answering any questions related to the Massachusetts political arena, falling back on his new role at the NCAA for taking him away from the Bay State.— Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
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The Citi team, led by Max Layton and Francisco Martoccia, would then see Brent crude prices averaging around $110 this quarter before falling back to $80 in the fourth quarter.— Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Madrid Open is losing some star power with Carlos Alcaraz joining Novak Djokovic in pulling out of the upcoming clay-court tournament Friday.— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
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Regarding his mother, Peltz Beckham accused Victoria of abruptly pulling out of making wife Nicola's wedding dress, as well as dancing inappropriately at the wedding ceremony.— Edward Segarra, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Her announcement touched off a new round of progressive candidates backing away from the Iron Dome.— Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
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Video footage from the apartment complex showed Kirkland speaking to several people in the Jeep before backing away and collapsing, the court document said.— Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Topal is considering retiring this year.— Audrey Pachuta, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
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Jordan Leasure entered and threw a wild pitch to score Gelof and make it 7-4 before retiring Jacob Wilson on a foul popup.— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dropping back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/dropping%20back. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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