as in decreased
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
Relevance
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 fell away
SpaceX Two minutes and 24 seconds after liftoff, now out of the dense lower atmosphere, the Starship upper stage's six Raptors ignited just before the Super Heavy first stage fell away.
—
William Harwood, CBS News, 22 May 2026
The sense of a cultural in- and out-group dissolved as niche communities grew and old-school ideas of coolness fell away.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
There was a silent boom; in the thrill of the snake, everything unnecessary fell away.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Three minutes into the flight, the booster switched off its engines and fell away from New Glenn’s upper stage, powered by two BE-3U engines burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 Apr. 2026
Sooner or later, those fans and hands fell away, and the statues remained, growing less and less presentable.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Old differences fell away, and the two got along well.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
But, in the process, the funding fell away, Davis said.
—Debra Skodack, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
The specks of warmth salvaged from the inside of the patrol car, which had clung to his skin under his gray sweatpants and hooded striped sweatshirt, soon fell away.
—USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
William Harwood, CBS News, 22 May 2026
The sense of a cultural in- and out-group dissolved as niche communities grew and old-school ideas of coolness fell away.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
There was a silent boom; in the thrill of the snake, everything unnecessary fell away.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
Three minutes into the flight, the booster switched off its engines and fell away from New Glenn’s upper stage, powered by two BE-3U engines burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 Apr. 2026
Sooner or later, those fans and hands fell away, and the statues remained, growing less and less presentable.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Old differences fell away, and the two got along well.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
But, in the process, the funding fell away, Davis said.
—Debra Skodack, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
The specks of warmth salvaged from the inside of the patrol car, which had clung to his skin under his gray sweatpants and hooded striped sweatshirt, soon fell away.
—USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell away
Verb
-
Homicides have decreased by roughly 11% from this time in 2025, which ended with a 60-year low in the number of people killed; the city has also had 148 fewer people shot.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
This isn’t unique to Sacramento, with Smith noting that an American Alliance of Museums survey found that 55% of museums report decreased traffic.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Piccotto effectively plays the regret of a mother forced to reckon with the loss of a child, the horror of engaging with that child again, while also grappling with her own role as a mother felled by the scourge of addiction.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
In a Western Conference Final where a few other key Colorado Avalanche players are already playing through injuries, the NHL’s leading goal scorer this season was felled trying to prevent someone else from scoring.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
Polis wrote in his veto letter that the bill would have diminished incentives for fire departments to participate in the Colorado Firefighter Trust, which replaced state workers’ compensation for firefighters’ cancer claims.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
-
Phosphorus has diminished some.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire.—
Ahmad Mantash,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
The surgery in July 2022 went as planned, and in the early weeks of recovery, nothing appeared out of the ordinary as the swelling gradually subsided.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
As the rain tapered off in the afternoon, the Skippers (20-2) were eager to defend their home turf.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
That growth, though, has now tapered off.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fell away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell%20away. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
