fall back on

VERB

draw on

Synonyms

WEAK

effect employ exploit extract have recourse to make use of rely on require take from

VERB

resort

Synonyms

STRONG

address affect apply devote direct employ exercise frequent go haunt recur repair run try turn use utilize visit

WEAK

avail oneself of benefit by bring into play go to head for look to make use of put to use recur to refer to take up turn to

Antonyms

STRONG

abstain break halt ignore misuse shun stay stop

WEAK

avoid dodge

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When SpaceX lost a pad in 2016 it took 15 months to rebuild it — and SpaceX had other pads to fall back on.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

You can’t fall back on that money in an emergency like you could with a retirement account.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

Then again, it wouldn’t come with millions of dollars to fall back on, either.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Honda has popular gas-powered models such as the Pilot and the CR-V to fall back on if their ambitions with Sony fall through.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

As writers, then, we should try to get into our readers’ heads and be mindful of how easy it is to fall back on parochial jargon and private abstractions.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

fall back on

Example Sentences

Related Words