as in decreasing
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
as the years went by, the public's interest in the murder case fell away
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Recent Examples of falling away
That means some of the oddball stuff that had a moment toward the end of the Peak TV boom is falling away, sadly — no one’s greenlighting something as off kilter as The OA or Servant these days.
—
Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 21 Feb. 2026
Sunrays strobed down through the water, illuminating layer upon layer of marine life, falling away to the ocean floor some 15 feet below.
—Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
Away from McDavid and Draisaitl, a group is flourishing, but veterans who were counted on are falling away and losing playing time.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
True dandruff usually appears as larger white-to-yellow flakes with a slightly oily texture that stick to the scalp and hair rather than falling away like fine powder.
—Allure, 18 Dec. 2025
Like a snake shedding its skin, The Girlfriend’s expendable outer layers are falling away to reveal a more interesting core.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 21 Feb. 2026
Sunrays strobed down through the water, illuminating layer upon layer of marine life, falling away to the ocean floor some 15 feet below.
—Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
Away from McDavid and Draisaitl, a group is flourishing, but veterans who were counted on are falling away and losing playing time.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
True dandruff usually appears as larger white-to-yellow flakes with a slightly oily texture that stick to the scalp and hair rather than falling away like fine powder.
—Allure, 18 Dec. 2025
Like a snake shedding its skin, The Girlfriend’s expendable outer layers are falling away to reveal a more interesting core.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling away
Verb
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Extortion is also a crime that worries authorities, although cases appear to be decreasing.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
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But an album rollout is costly and seeing an ever-decreasing return on investment.—
Michaelangelo Matos,
Rolling Stone,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Puerto Rico is missing Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa due to insurance restrictions, considerably diminishing their firepower, but have solid pitching and the advantage of playing at home in their group stage.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Palomar’s 48 partner agencies are similarly affected by diminishing VOCA funds.—
Maddy Keyes,
The Frontier,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But, by the end of May, the issue was not subsiding.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Mar. 2026
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By Wednesday, the disruptions seemed to be subsiding, with nearly 200 grounded, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The rain will continue most of Tuesday night, tapering off around dawn on Wednesday.—
Terry Eliasen,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Southern California’s mosquito season typically begins in early May, with the insect’s activity tapering off around October.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Also Monday, the Pakistan Stock Exchange plunged, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index falling nearly 10% amid rising geopolitical tensions following attacks on Iran.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Iranian retaliatory attacks appear to be declining — ballistic missile strikes have fallen by 90% and drone attacks by 83%, according to US Central Command — potentially easing pressure on Gulf states that have faced Iranian strikes in recent days.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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Instead of coming from declining direct-to-home satellite taxes, the money would come directly from state sales and use taxes.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Falling away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20away. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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