fallaway

1 of 2

adjective

fall·​away ˈfȯl-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce fallaway (audio)
: made while moving away from the basket in basketball
a fallaway jump shot
fallaway noun

fall away

2 of 2

verb

fell away; fallen away; falling away; falls away

intransitive verb

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Verb
The Bitter Mai Tai is a full-fledged neo classic, first bright with lime and rum, then deep with almond, and then—where a standard Mai Tai would fall away with a lingering malic zing—the Bitter Mai Tai rises in a bold third act, humming with bitterness and the banana-funk of the rum. Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2025 Speleology fell away as a formal academic discipline after the war, Mattes explains. Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fallaway

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1936, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fallaway was in 1535

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fallaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallaway. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!