falls back on
Turns to instead
Falls back on means to rely on something as a backup or last resort when other options fail.
You fall back on savings when income drops, fall back on old habits under stress, or fall back on a friend who's always there: When the plan collapsed, she fell back on her training.
The thing fallen back on is usually reliable but not the first choice.
- relyTrust for support
- dependRequire for support
- backupStored duplicate for recovery
- supportTo uphold or sustain
- baseSupporting bottom structure
hold · trust · plan B · contingency · ace up sleeve · hand · alternative · crutch · default mode · count · bank · tried and true · last resort · replacement · improvise · safeguard · catch · reserve
falls back onprioritizes
Ranks by importance
favors · prefers · embraces · starts with
falls back ondoes without
Manages in absence
foregoes · stands alone · goes it alone · fends for oneself · improvises
fall, back, falls, fell, fallen, falling, faller, fallback, backs