fallback

[ fawl-bak ]

/ ˈfɔlˌbæk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR fallback ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of falling back.

something or someone to turn or return to, especially for help or as an alternative: His teaching experience would be a fallback if the business failed.

adjective

Also fall-back . of or designating something kept in reserve or as an alternative: The negotiators agreed on a fallback position.

Origin of fallback

1750–60, Americanism; noun, adj. use of verb phrase fall back

Words nearby fallback

fall all over oneself, fall among, fall apart, fall asleep, fall away, fallback, fall back on, fall behind, fall between the cracks, fallboard, fall by the wayside

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for fallback

He could, as a fallback, partner well with Big Squish-Em, Dis-Em Chris.
Why 2016’s Hopefuls Are Hopeless|P. J. O’Rourke|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A fallback position, adding an Eisenhower statue to the existing World War II Memorial, is already being discussed.
The Strange Fight Over the Eisenhower Memorial|Eleanor Clift|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After realizing how difficult this plum post would be, “Biden” writes that he “wised up and settled on my current fallback plan.”
Speed Read: 11 Best Bits from Joe Biden Satire ‘The President of Vice’|Caroline Linton|January 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Their fallback is a series of small-bore bills like more visas for high-tech workers.
Bob Shrum’s Winners & Losers of 2012|Robert Shrum|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST

In other words, preserving the deduction is a fallback position.
A Very Significant Tea Leaf in the GOP Platform|Michael Tomasky|August 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for fallback

fall back

verb (intr, adverb)

to recede or retreat

(foll by on or upon) to have recourse (to)

noun fall-back

a retreat

a reserve, esp money, that can be called upon in need

anything to which one can have recourse as a second choice
(as modifier)a fall-back position

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with fallback