Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fall back on

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.07 in modern English

Syllables: fal-l back- on
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To turn to as a substitute; to rely on as a backup.

Transitive verb

verb

to be blamed on.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Since first tossing its cartoonish, good-time cock-rock to the masses in the early ’00s, The Darkness has always fallen back on this defense: The band is a joke, but hey, it’s a good joke. With Hot Cakes—the group’s third album, and first since reforming last year—the laughter has died. In its place is the sad wheeze of the last surviving party balloon slowly, listlessly deflating."
"So I fell back on the simple methods of the plainsman and Indian and jogged along on their trail."
"If we do this, the consequences will fall back on you."

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

falls back on (present, singular) falling back on (participle, present) fell back on (past) fallen back on (participle, past)

Questions

What does fall back on mean?: To turn to as a substitute; to rely on as a backup.

How to pronounce fall back on

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “fall back on”.
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