fallout

American  

[fawl-aut] / ˈfɔlˌaʊt /

Or fall-out

noun

• fallouts
  plural

1. the settling to the ground of airborne particles ejected into the atmosphere from the earth by explosions, eruptions, forest fires, etc., especially such settling from nuclear explosions radioactive fallout.

2. the particles themselves.

3. an unexpected or incidental effect, outcome, or product.

   the psychological fallout of being obese.

4. effects; results.

   emotional fallout from a divorce.

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fallout British  

/ ˈfɔːlˌaʊt /

noun

1. the descent of solid material in the atmosphere onto the earth, esp of radioactive material following a nuclear explosion

2. any solid particles that so descend

3. informal side-effects; secondary consequences

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verb

1. informal to quarrel or disagree

2. (intr) to happen or occur

3. military to leave a parade or disciplinary formation

1. military the order to leave a parade or disciplinary formation

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fallouts
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of fallout

First recorded in 1945–50; noun use of verb phrase fall out

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Explanation

Fallout is the cloud of radioactive material that falls from the sky after a nuclear blast. Fear of the effects of fallout is just one reason some people are nervous about nuclear energy. Nuclear fallout settles on the ground and in the atmosphere after a nuclear bomb explodes or a reaction occurs at a damaged nuclear power plant. The dangers of this kind of fallout are enormous, including immediate death and long-term illness caused by breathing and eating the radioactive dust. Another kind of fallout is more figurative — it's any kind of negative effect or result, like the fallout from telling your family you're getting an enormous tattoo.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fallout fallouts

Acknowledging the potential fallout for workers and businesses, Tau said the government had retained measures introduced in response to US reciprocal tariffs and would support affected industries while stepping up efforts to diversify export markets.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

The Mbappe furore and fallout is not an unfamiliar tale.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

The fallout was starkly displayed through state-television footage of this week’s plenum, with several rows of empty seats visible in the meeting hall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

In the fallout McCartney's sisters and fiancée mounted a campaign for justice that won support from US President George W Bush and the European Parliament.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

The concept appealed to both Teller and Lawrence, who understood that public alarm about fallout could threaten the lab’s existence.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Rising prices and a volatile currency have been among the major domestic economic fallouts of Moscow's four-year offensive on Ukraine, which has seen it hit with unprecedented packages of Western sanctions.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

The trail of damage from Patterson’s pet project includes money fights, family estrangement and bitter fallouts as friends turned on each other amid efforts to debunk or defend the footage over the years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

Bejarano cited recent articles by Times critic Mark Swed and New Yorker critic Alex Ross that indicted boards for some newsworthy artistic fallouts.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2024

And South Africa, hosted a successful meeting with no public fallouts.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2023

Singapore has been hit by a series of political fallouts of late. last week, transport minister S Iswaran and hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng were arrested in a rare high-level graft probe.

From Reuters ● Jul. 17, 2023

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