as in altercation
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
the two friends have been lonely and miserable since they had a falling-out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily
club members were soon falling out about how to spend the money they'd made washing cars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in proving
to come to be
I had planned to have a sports career, but things fell out otherwise
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 falling-out
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026
All four of the teens had attended North Shore Senior High School together and the altercation stemmed from a falling-out between Calicut and the driver of the other vehicle, court records state.
—Caroline Wilburn, Houston Chronicle, 7 Jan. 2026
Brett Knight, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Soon, clumps started falling out in her hands.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for falling-out
Noun
Other documents showed Epstein tried to mediate a falling-out between Gates and an adviser, Boris Nikolic, in 2013.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026
All four of the teens had attended North Shore Senior High School together and the altercation stemmed from a falling-out between Calicut and the driver of the other vehicle, court records state.
—Caroline Wilburn, Houston Chronicle, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
With Tiger Woods falling out of the top 50, James also stands as the only member of the ranking to have appeared on the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires.
—Brett Knight, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Soon, clumps started falling out in her hands.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for falling-out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling-out
Noun
-
The Grammy winner’s Ring camera caught the altercation when her private security intervened and tried to get Applegate to leave.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
The altercation allegedly led to a brief fight in which the granddaughter is accused of pulling on one of the kids' hair before being separated.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
While the concrete cured, the starting eight matches of the first-ever World Cup were relocated to Pocitos and Gran Parque Central, the home grounds of capital rivals Peñarol and Nacional, who'd been bickering since their first meeting in July 1900.—
Paul Jebara,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 May 2026
-
SpaceX and the Pentagon have been bickering about the price of using Starshield satellite service during the Iran war, according to a Reuters report published today.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
In that context, Lipa’s Schiaparelli ensemble offers a compelling blueprint for modern bridal dressing, proving that a wedding look does not need to follow convention to feel impactful.—
Lauren Fisher,
Footwear News,
1 June 2026
-
His victim, in her unassailable purity, resists him, thereby proving that the arrivistes populating the ranks of England’s most upwardly mobile class had a moral edge over the nobility.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
In May 2024, Jose Siri tried swinging at Uribe during a dugout-clearing quarrel.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
-
What was a calm discussion turned into a quarrel, and the new director of the facility came out to see what was going on.—
Amer Matar,
The Dial,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Now, Troiano said, his organization is focused on fighting bills in about a dozen states that would close party primaries to independent voters.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
30 May 2026
-
The Hema and Lendu ethnic groups have been fighting over land and minerals in the gold-rich province of Ituri since the Second Congo War in the late 1990s and early 2000s.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Its buffet presentation is worthy of a magazine photo shoot, and the manakish is baked fresh, with new batches coming out every few minutes (act fast because the slices go quickly).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
What’s that goopy white effulgence coming out of that girl—ectoplasm?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
In 2023, Archer settled intellectual property disputes with Boeing and its air taxi unit Wisk, and signed an agreement to collaborate on autonomous tech, and invested in the air taxi maker.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
-
Carney acknowledged that while the US and Canada have had disputes, the countries have always worked through them, and that a more independent Canada makes the country a better ally.—
Reuters May 28,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Russia warns of major Kyiv attacks The Kremlin urged foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv, warning of a major forthcoming attack, with analysts arguing that Russia is losing momentum in its war on Ukraine.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
-
The men were arguing about a conflict that their children were having, the mother told the TV station.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Falling-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling-out. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
