fall back plan

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A second plan you can use if your first plan fails or cannot happen.

   Grammar: Countable: say 'a fallback plan' or 'fallback plans'. Often used with 'have', 'need', or 'as a'.

   Patterns

   • have a fallback plan
   • need a fallback plan
   • as a fallback plan

   If the outdoor wedding is rained out, we have a fallback plan.

   Always keep a fallback plan in case the flight is canceled.

   The company made a fallback plan before launching the product.

2. 2nouncountablebusiness

   An alternative course of action kept ready in case the main one does not work out.

   Grammar: Used in business and study contexts; the plural 'fallback plans' is common when talking about several options.

   Patterns

   • a fallback plan for something
   • develop a fallback plan

   We need a fallback plan for the funding cut.

   Her fallback plan was to teach while she looked for research work.

Word forms

Common combinations

have a fallback plan

Smart travelers always have a fallback plan.

a good fallback plan

Renting a car is a good fallback plan if the trains stop.

as a fallback plan

He studied law as a fallback plan.

need a fallback plan

We need a fallback plan before we sign the contract.

Synonyms and how they differ

backup plan

Backup plan is the most common everyday synonym and sounds slightly more casual.

contingency plan

Contingency plan is more formal and is used in business or official writing.

Plan B

Plan B is informal and often suggests a single alternative, while a fallback plan can be one of several.

Word family

fallback noun

A thing you can use or do instead if the first choice fails.

fall back on phrasal verb

To use something as a reserve, as in 'fall back on savings'.

Commonly confused: fall back plan or backup?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “fall back plan”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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