DROPS BACK Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

drops back

verb

present tense third-person singular of drop back

as in withdraws

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 drops back Szoboszlai has much better access to Yoane Wissa in the space that opens up as Gravenberch pushes forward and Wirtz drops back to cover (no doubt after a half-time reminder about the importance of covering the space). — Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 After the front, the humidity drops back off the scale, meaning that Thursday and Friday will be very comfy and dry. — Terry Eliasen, CBS News, 18 May 2026 If the opposing quarterback drops back to pass, Downs can be effective, as well. — Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026 Too flat and your head drops back; too thick and your chin juts forward. — Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026 If your head drops back or your chin pushes forward, the pillow height is wrong. — Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 9 Apr. 2026 Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots drops back to pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. — Lillian Rizzo,ryan Ruggiero, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026 Temperatures are likely to remain warm during the day, though forecasts show possible snow showers early Thursday night as the low drops back below freezing to the upper 20s. — Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026 The 54-year-old comedian with a beard full of gray stubble drops back to pass, launching a tight spiral underneath SoFi’s massive technicolor halo scoreboard hovering above a sea of empty stands. — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drops back

Verb

Investopedia made a state-by-state set of estimates for a single retiree who collects the average Social Security benefit of $1,975 a month and withdraws 4% of savings a year.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
Cookies should not be set before consent, should appear the moment consent is granted, should persist across the session and should disappear when a visitor withdraws it.

— Lesa Seibert, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of withdraws

Verb

But even as the characters reflect at length on the virtue of putting themselves out there, their series too often retreats within itself instead.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
Olivia Studio60, Womack Studios, Disney+ A celebrity TV weatherman retreats with his daughter to his estranged father’s olive groves, reopening old wounds.

— Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of retreats

Verb

When that information gets exposed, the burden of watching for fraud suddenly falls back on us.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
The school falls back on procedure to keep a lid on things, and a school violence review committee wraps up without a firm finding.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of falls back

Verb

It is headed straight toward another SUV, driven by a medic for CHOP security, who immediately throws it in reverse and backs away to avoid the white Jeep, which is coming at it head on.

— Sydney Brownstone, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026
As the boy backs away, the family's husky mix, Bella, is seen running over from across the yard and chasing the bear away, circling behind the animal and placing itself in between the bear and the boy.

— Mason Leib, ABC News, 7 July 2026

Definition of backs away

Verb

The department will also formalize its practice of informing state officials when an officer retires while disciplinary charges are still pending, in order to prevent them from being hired at another policing agency.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
SpaceX already retires aging Starlink satellites by burning them up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026