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
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Recent Examples of fell away
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
Midway through a steep sidehill, with a tough right turn at the bottom, racers had to fight to find the fastest line into a hard right turn as the mountain fell away in the other direction.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Nuñez joined DeSantis for the unveiling, with the two standing on opposite sides of the covered statue before the shroud fell away.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
The Broncos trailed just 43-41 at halftime but fell away throughout the second half, making just six field goals in the final 20 minutes.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2026
Video of the moment posted on TikTok showed Malone raising his cup and leaning over, as the edge of the stage fell away during the Arizona show.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Jan. 2026
Safeguards fell away — removed intentionally to insure residents in need did not go hungry.
—Jonah Kaplan, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
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
Midway through a steep sidehill, with a tough right turn at the bottom, racers had to fight to find the fastest line into a hard right turn as the mountain fell away in the other direction.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Nuñez joined DeSantis for the unveiling, with the two standing on opposite sides of the covered statue before the shroud fell away.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
The Broncos trailed just 43-41 at halftime but fell away throughout the second half, making just six field goals in the final 20 minutes.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2026
Video of the moment posted on TikTok showed Malone raising his cup and leaning over, as the edge of the stage fell away during the Arizona show.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Jan. 2026
Safeguards fell away — removed intentionally to insure residents in need did not go hungry.
—Jonah Kaplan, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell away
Verb
-
In the past forty years, men’s wages have decreased as a percentage of over-all family income, while broader wealth inequalities and job insecurity have grown.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In two of six Minneapolis areas, overall crime decreased 43% and 56% respectively, while, in all other areas, overall crime rose.—
Eric Adler
March 29,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
With a hollow interior trunk, Stumpy was among 158 trees felled in 2024 as part of a project aimed at shoring up a sea wall near the National Mall.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
-
And to be sure, there were winds and rain strong enough to fell several trees, flood a few roads, and knock out power in some Maryland and Virginia suburbs.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
More elderly people could find themselves at the mercy of an obscure government program meant to save them from harm and preserve their dignity when their ability to take care of themselves is diminished.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
But with the chances of a Fed rate cut later this year highly diminished now and, with the reality that a cut (if it is issued) is likely to be by just 25 basis points, these estimates are unlikely to change dramatically, either.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Workers discovered a grave containing human remains beneath tiles after part of the floor of St Peter and Paul Church subsided in February, triggering a race to identify the skeleton through DNA testing.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Government officials say new detentions have subsided since then, as the number of ICE officers in Minnesota has receded from a high of around 3,000 to close to their previous levels of over 100.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The analysis showed bacterial diversity recovered the fastest in the first two years after people took antibiotics; the rate of recovery tapered off after that point.—
Lori Youmshajekian,
Scientific American,
11 Mar. 2026
-
After the initial surge following the Tuesday Instagram post upping the reward, the number of calls to the sheriff's department has tapered off, sources said.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fell away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell%20away. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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