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
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
Diderot was fierce about that, but with the end of the French Enlightenment, the Encyclopédie completely fell away.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 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
Heroin chic fell away, and body positivity entered the fashion world.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
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
Diderot was fierce about that, but with the end of the French Enlightenment, the Encyclopédie completely fell away.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 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
Heroin chic fell away, and body positivity entered the fashion world.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell away
Verb
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Drone strikes have decreased by 83%.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Though on Saturday, MDFR said smoke in the area had greatly decreased compared to Thursday and Friday.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Apartment buildings were felled by air strikes, and smoke billowed from the blasts; the buzz of Israeli drones filled the air.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
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Too many people, particularly those in my age group, have been felled by a cold that morphed into pneumonia, or a UTI that landed them in the hospital, or a simple stumble on a floor mat that resulted in surgery and months of physical therapy.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Liverpool’s transition threat has diminished.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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Extensive research shows that insufficient sleep is associated with impaired cognitive function, chronic health problems, diminished productivity and an increase in traffic accidents, just to name a few.—
Stephen Neely,
The Conversation,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The settling of chairs subsided, people shifted into comfortable postures, some laid out on the carpet.—
Sofia Zarran,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
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And, unlike longer alternatives like 2-year or 5-year CD options, savers will maintain some flexibility to pivot here in 2027 after the current market volatility may have subsided.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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The questions about the interceptions have tapered off with his high schoolers.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fell away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell%20away. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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