fall by the wayside

Idioms

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).

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.

Some big names did fall by the wayside, with Italian champions Napoli being bundled out along with three former champions in Marseille, PSV Eindhoven and Ajax.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Those who can’t govern may fall by the wayside.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

Four long days of painstaking concentration, trials and tribulations as rivals fall by the wayside - all for the chance to witness this kind of compelling climax.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025

Interestingly, 55% of Gen Zers have let their monthly subscriptions fall by the wayside but still pay for them, versus 24% of baby boomers.

From Salon • Feb. 10, 2025

And those who fall by the wayside excite no pity, receive no consideration, and if they rise not by their own exertion, they are kicked out of the way.

From Rockhaven by Munn, Charles Clark

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023