fall away
Britishverb
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(of friendship) to be withdrawn
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to slope down
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Also, fall off . Withdraw one's friendship, support, or allegiance. For example, After the divorce, her friends slowly fell away . [Early 1500s]
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Also, fall off . Gradually decline in size or strength, as in The breeze slowly fell away , or, as Shakespeare put it ( King Lear , 1:2): “Love cools, friendship falls off, Brothers divide.” [Early 1500s]
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Drift from an established faith, cause, or principles. For example, I fell away from the Catholic Church when I was a teenager . [Early 1500]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It helps, too, that, by the nature of the film’s long-winded narrative structure, we’re able to witness the pretenses between Mary and Sam slowly fall away.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
But he said concerns usually fall away when they learn more about induction stoves.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
Few women choose to study computer science in the first place, then "once you get more senior, women fall away", Hall said.
From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026
Now, no matter where I am in the world, as I slide up to the window and watch the platform fall away, I feel the comfort of coming home.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025
“If I could be sure I’m doin’ the right thing,” he would say to himself, as he watched the dark earth fall away from his plowshares.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
