fall away

verb

Definition of fall awaynext
as in to decrease
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually as the years went by, the public's interest in the murder case fell away

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of fall away This was decided by the storage capacity of early records and commercially reified for decades after the practical limitations fell away. — Brian Howe, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026 Keep an eye out for flowers in which the petals and stamens have fallen away completely. — Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 21 July 2026 Conventional launch vehicles secure their payloads inside protective fairings that fall away from the rocket completely once damaging aerodynamic forces disappear in the vacuum of space. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 15 July 2026 Tubbs’s plan to follow his father into the military began to fall away as a new mission—to save animals—took hold. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fall away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fall away
  1. decrease
  2. diminish
  3. subside
  4. fall
  5. decline
  6. ease
  7. taper off
Verb
  • As would be expected, oil demand was forced to decrease, to match available supply.
    — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Only 15% believed the statements would decrease the patients’ likelihood of seeking treatment—even though that's what tended to happen in the researchers' simulations.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of decrease
Verb
  • The term refers to when tobacco companies in the 1990s were forced to pay billions of dollars for misleading the public about the safety and potential harms of their products, and subsequently saw their power and influence dramatically diminished.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The filter significantly diminishes elements commonly found in water that can be damaging, like chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, heavy metals, and more.
    — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminish
Verb
  • Washington and Tehran agreed in June to a 60-day ceasefire, allowing time to negotiate a more durable peace deal while active fighting subsided and the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The drama of last year’s Ole Miss team under Lane Kiffin has subsided.
    — PJ Green August 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of subside
Verb
  • When night falls, another show begins with a dedicated corner of the estate designed for stargazing.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Zinc ions enter the electrode first at higher voltages, while much smaller protons are stored later as the voltage falls.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of fall
Verb
  • Watts declined Rolling Stone’s multiple requests for an interview and did not specifically address a majority of questions posed to him in a detailed request for comment.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • When first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury in May, Devers declined to learn the position despite Boston’s dearth of options.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of decline
Verb
  • The deployment of more than 1,500 soldiers to protect Michoacán’s avocado-growing region and recent arrests of people allegedly involved in extortion have eased concerns, but only partially.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The bad blood between West Ham and Sheffield United over the Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano saga has eased over the years, but the rivalry will reconvene in Yorkshire on December 4.
    — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of ease
Verb
  • Then there’s the question of whether demand will taper off, which is difficult to predict.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Rain showers got Wednesday started for most of the Philadelphia area, but that morning precipitation will taper off through midday.
    — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of taper off

Browse Nearby Words

fall apart
fall away
fall back
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fall away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fall%20away. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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