drop back

verb

dropped back; dropping back; drops back

intransitive verb

1

: retreat

2

: to move straight back from the line of scrimmage

the quarterback drops back to pass

Synonyms

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

Examples of drop back in a Sentence

a change in the wind direction forced the firefighters to drop back

Recent Examples on the Web

Early in the fourth quarter, Jackson dropped back in the pocket on third down and quickly turned to his left, leading Wallace toward the sideline on an out route 7 yards past the line of scrimmage. —Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 8 Nov. 2024

This caused the unemployment rate to drop back to 4.05% from 4.22%. —Beth Kindig, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024

Bitcoin has dropping back from its all-time high of over $100,000 in the last week as BlackRock quietly confirmed a worrying bitcoin bombshell. —Billy Bambrough, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024

Even after that successful rushing touchdown on a first down, the rest of the first half was oddly spent having Allen drop back to pass. —Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1