English–French
“fall back on” in French
French
Pronunciation
IPA/ʁabatʁ/
Example
Il faut se rabattre sur une solution moins coûteuse.
We have to fall back on a less expensive solution.
How to say “fall back on” in French
“Fall back on” in French is rabattre.
A moving part folds back toward a lower position, like a decision narrowing toward a less preferred but available choice.
Example sentences with rabattre
Après l'échec du projet, ils ont dû se rabattre sur le plan B.
After the project failed, they had to fall back on plan B.
Tips for using rabattre
- The preposition sur is fixed in this construction, so se rabattre sur une option means to fall back on an option, not to fall back from it.