fallout

1 of 2

noun

fall·​out ˈfȯl-ˌau̇t How to pronounce fallout (audio)
1
a
: the often radioactive particles stirred up by or resulting from a nuclear explosion and descending through the atmosphere
also : other polluting particles (such as volcanic ash) descending likewise
b
: descent (as of fallout) through the atmosphere
2
: a secondary and often lingering effect, result, or set of consequences
have to take a position and accept the political falloutAndy Logan

fall out

2 of 2

verb

fell out; fallen out; falling out; falls out

intransitive verb

1
: quarrel
also : to cut off relations over a quarrel
former friends who have fallen out
2
: turn out, happen
expected to be in the States …  , but things fell out otherwiseMark Twain
3
a
: to leave one's place in the ranks
b
: to leave a building in order to take one's place in a military formation

Examples of fallout in a Sentence

Noun concerned about the possible political fallout from the scandal Verb club members were soon falling out about how to spend the money they'd made washing cars I had planned to have a sports career, but things fell out otherwise.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Catholics continue to struggle with fallout from the clergy abuse scandal. Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 20 Mar. 2024 Lawmakers spent so long in negotiations that Johnson may have to bypass certain House rules to force the legislation across the finish line, or risk being saddled with the political fallout of a shutdown, however brief. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 Washington is still dealing with the fallout from such meddling today, confronting deep suspicion and hostility in many of these countries, which complicates U.S. foreign policy and undermines American interests. Bernie Sanders, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2024 Perhaps because the alternative could be even riskier: the potentially dire fallout, for Gaza and the wider region, of not acting. Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024 The fallout — which has undermined the confidence of homebuyers, businesses and investors — has threatened the broader economy. Laura He, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 The Egyptian economy has been hit hard by years of government austerity, the coronavirus pandemic, the fallout from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and most recently, the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Samy Magdy, Quartz, 6 Mar. 2024 Perhaps the best part of the tour was listening to Scahill talk about the challenges of being a musician, of dealing with success, and fallouts; of dealing with critics, and comparisons. Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 Trump previously ruled out the idea of choosing Pence as his running mate again after their fallout over the Capitol riot. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
The extra day keeps calendars and seasons from gradually falling out of sync and impacting harvesting, planting and other cycles based on the seasons. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024 Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger volumes, is starting to reel from the impact of Boeing’s safety scrutiny after a panel fell out from one of its Alaska Airline airplanes in January. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 26 Feb. 2024 Two roaches were in a paper towel dispenser next to the stove and one fell out of the paper towel dispenser into the hand sink next to the stove. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Johnson and Safdie first connected on the project in 2019, but fell out of touch and put the film on hold due to the pandemic. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 29 Feb. 2024 Historically, value investing has outperformed the more glamorous growth investing approach, but the approach can also fall out of favor at times. Charles Rotblut, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 As foreign service officers jockey and jive for influence, power, and a sense of significance, minorities, deprived of institutional support, are falling out of the ranks, victim to gaslighting and other adversities. Byjenny Abamu, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024 If there was a slight falling out or disruption in one of these relationships in October, pay attention to the twists and turns that are bringing you around another bend in this road. Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024 But according to records, Bertsch and Haggerty had a falling out the next year over a plan for Bertsch to move back to La Jolla. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fallout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fallout was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near fallout

Cite this Entry

“Fallout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallout. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fallout

1 of 2 noun
fall·​out ˈfȯ-ˌlau̇t How to pronounce fallout (audio)
: the often radioactive particles that are stirred up by or result from a nuclear explosion and descend through the atmosphere

fall out

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)fȯ-ˈlau̇t
1
: to have a quarrel
2

Medical Definition

fallout

noun
fall·​out ˈfȯ-ˌlau̇t How to pronounce fallout (audio)
1
: the often radioactive particles stirred up by or resulting from a nuclear explosion and descending through the atmosphere
also : other polluting particles (as volcanic ash) descending likewise
2
: descent (as of fallout) through the atmosphere

More from Merriam-Webster on fallout

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