fall·away
ˈfȯl-ə-ˌwā 
: made while moving away from the basket in basketball
a fallaway jump shot
fallaway
noun
fell away; fallen away; falling away; falls away
1
a
: to withdraw friendship or support
b
: to renounce one's faith
2
a
: to diminish gradually in size
b
: to drift off a course
Synonyms
Examples of fallaway in a Sentence
Verb
as the years went by, the public's interest in the murder case fell away
Recent Examples on the Web
Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2023
And from the driver's seat, the thing looks racy, sporting a short, fallaway hood and sweeping lines (accentuated in the CRX by the roof tapering down behind your head to an impertinent little ducktail).
—Kevin Smith, Car and Driver, 4 Mar. 2023
In the teams’ first meeting this season, Mahaney nailed a fallaway jumper with less than a second remaining to give the Gaels a 57-56 thriller in Provo.
—Steve Kroner, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Feb. 2023
Chamberlain scored on fallaway jump shots, finger-rolls, and dunks.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2022
James and Davis made 3-pointers and fallaway jumpers.
—Bernie Wilson, ajc, 20 Oct. 2021
Krista Stevens, Longreads, 17 Apr. 2024
In recent years, most of the restraints on Iran’s nuclear program have fallen away.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
Our world of divisions and distractions — of TikTok and politics and disasters — fell away, leaving us quiet with our breath held in awe.
—Christopher Maag, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The Hartford club’s nativist roots were falling away, hinting at the movement’s adaptability.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Words don’t fall away and disappear, but form thoughts, shapes, lead separate lives . . .
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
In these illusions, in this startling emptiness, all of life's baggage fell away.
—Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024
In that moment, any and all qualms fall away as the only appropriate reaction can be: Bravo.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Other volunteer efforts fall away because people age out or enthusiasm wanes.
—Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024
Adjective
His fallaway, one-legged jumper at 6-11 is impossible to defend.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2023
And from the driver's seat, the thing looks racy, sporting a short, fallaway hood and sweeping lines (accentuated in the CRX by the roof tapering down behind your head to an impertinent little ducktail).
—Kevin Smith, Car and Driver, 4 Mar. 2023
In the teams’ first meeting this season, Mahaney nailed a fallaway jumper with less than a second remaining to give the Gaels a 57-56 thriller in Provo.
—Steve Kroner, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Feb. 2023
Chamberlain scored on fallaway jump shots, finger-rolls, and dunks.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2022
James and Davis made 3-pointers and fallaway jumpers.
—Bernie Wilson, ajc, 20 Oct. 2021
Verb
Everything outside the moment falls away, like a blurred background in an Impressionist landscape.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 17 Apr. 2024
In recent years, most of the restraints on Iran’s nuclear program have fallen away.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
Our world of divisions and distractions — of TikTok and politics and disasters — fell away, leaving us quiet with our breath held in awe.
—Christopher Maag, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The Hartford club’s nativist roots were falling away, hinting at the movement’s adaptability.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Words don’t fall away and disappear, but form thoughts, shapes, lead separate lives . . .
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
In these illusions, in this startling emptiness, all of life's baggage fell away.
—Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024
In that moment, any and all qualms fall away as the only appropriate reaction can be: Bravo.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Other volunteer efforts fall away because people age out or enthusiasm wanes.
—Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fallaway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fallaway
Cite this Entry
“Fallaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallaway. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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