fall by the wayside

Idioms and Phrases

Fail to continue, drop out, as in At first she did well on the tour, but with all the pressure she soon fell by the wayside . This phrase appeared in William Tyndale's translation of the New Testament (1526; Luke 8:5).

More About Fall By The Wayside

What does fall by the wayside mean?

To fall by the wayside means to stop doing something or give up on it, as in Victor tried to keep up his grades, but he fell by the wayside when he joined a band.

Fall by the wayside is also often used to refer to things or activities that have been abandoned, deserted, or given up on, as in As soon as Missy felt insulted, her good manners quickly fell by the wayside.  

Example: The entrance exam was so hard that many students fell by the wayside before they even finished it. 

Where does fall by the wayside come from?

The first records of the phrase fall by the wayside come from around 1526. The phrase first appeared in William Tyndale’s translation of the Bible, where it was used in Matthew 13:4, Mark 4:4, and Luke 8:5.

In the Bible, the phrase is used to compare people who give up on worshipping God in order to lead sinful lives to seeds on the ground that are eaten by hungry birds.

Did you know … ?

What are some synonyms for fall by the wayside?

• quit
• give up
• drop out
• abandon

What are some words that share a root or word element with fall by the wayside? 

• fall
• wayside

What are some words that often get used in discussing fall by the wayside?

• challenge
• difficulty
• commitment
• stop
• surrender

How is fall by the wayside used in real life?

Fall by the wayside is a phrase used in reference to people who give up on something or a thing that was given up on.

#Gophers crumbled down the stretch against a 1-weapon Penn State team. Guessing any NCAA Tourney hopes just fell by the wayside.

— Chris Long (@ChrisLongKSTP) February 18, 2011

Work sort of fell by the wayside tonight as I took care of house and email business. Now I'm exhausted and catching up on the day's news

— Neil Kleid (@neilkleid) January 20, 2010

In 33 years, I've seen many traders fall by the wayside. The individuals that make it never think they know it all and always respect risk.

— Mark Minervini (@markminervini) June 13, 2017

Try using fall by the wayside!

Is fall by the wayside used correctly in the following sentence?

This book is so long and boring that most readers will fall by the wayside and never know how it ends.