fall·out
ˈfȯl-ˌau̇t 
1
a
: the often radioactive particles stirred up by or resulting from a nuclear explosion and descending through the atmosphere
also
: other polluting particles (such as volcanic ash) descending likewise
b
: descent (as of fallout) through the atmosphere
2
: a secondary and often lingering effect, result, or set of consequences
have to take a position and accept the political fallout—
Andy Logan
Andy Logan
fell out; fallen out; falling out; falls out
1
: quarrel
also
: to cut off relations over a quarrel
former friends who have fallen out
3
a
: to leave one's place in the ranks
b
: to leave a building in order to take one's place in a military formation
Synonyms
Examples of fallout in a Sentence
Noun
concerned about the possible political fallout from the scandal
Verb
club members were soon falling out about how to spend the money they'd made washing cars
I had planned to have a sports career, but things fell out otherwise.
Recent Examples on the WebKyle Barr / Gizmodo, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
After several rocky quarters of navigating pandemic-era fallout, fashion e-commerce platform Rent the Runway is flying high, thanks to its restructuring efforts—and its decision to lean into AI.
—Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
That means some aid offers might not reach students until after the traditional May 1 decision deadline — or even beyond those that have been extended further to deal with the fallout.
—Haley Messenger, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The fallout helped enable the GOP to capture unified control of Congress for the first time in 40 years.
—TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
The economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, which hobbled the lodging and travel industries worldwide and in the Bay Area, helped to torpedo the hotel development proposal.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
The fallout of that relationship, combined with the ongoing transphobia of both Gotham at large and Joker’s mother in particular, is what leads this woman to turn on society and embrace her true self.
—Abraham Josephine Riesman, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
The singer’s recording contract with Big Loud Records was suspended indefinitely at the time, among other career fallout.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
Among the fallouts from the crisis professor Gomes foresees is a sharp decline in the value of the dollar as interest rates spiral higher.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2024
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
At least eight items can be housed in each bin (depending on their size), and the sides are high enough to prevent them from falling out or tipping over.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
The pharaoh’s annual tour fell out of favor, replaced by scribes who kept meticulous records of how much was owed and who still needed to pay.
—Kate McMahon, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
While pitcher wins have fallen out of fashion, a 15-0 record in his past 15 decisions is almost absurd enough to matter.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
It was also punctuated by a public falling out with the team.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Mar. 2024
Butterfly stretch Lie on your back and place the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall out in a butterfly formation.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2024
Its guts fall out with a splat on the floor, its tongue lolling out of its head, dead eyes staring.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
She could be plunged into early menopause, her brain could fog like a dark winter’s night, her mouth could be full of ulcers, her fingernails may even fall out.
—Chloe Fox, Vogue, 23 Mar. 2024
Noun
Google is also currently changing its Incognito Mode to actually delete browser history in the fallout of a class action lawsuit over the privacy mode’s limitations.
—Kyle Barr / Gizmodo, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
After several rocky quarters of navigating pandemic-era fallout, fashion e-commerce platform Rent the Runway is flying high, thanks to its restructuring efforts—and its decision to lean into AI.
—Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
That means some aid offers might not reach students until after the traditional May 1 decision deadline — or even beyond those that have been extended further to deal with the fallout.
—Haley Messenger, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The fallout helped enable the GOP to capture unified control of Congress for the first time in 40 years.
—TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
The economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, which hobbled the lodging and travel industries worldwide and in the Bay Area, helped to torpedo the hotel development proposal.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
The fallout of that relationship, combined with the ongoing transphobia of both Gotham at large and Joker’s mother in particular, is what leads this woman to turn on society and embrace her true self.
—Abraham Josephine Riesman, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
The singer’s recording contract with Big Loud Records was suspended indefinitely at the time, among other career fallout.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
Among the fallouts from the crisis professor Gomes foresees is a sharp decline in the value of the dollar as interest rates spiral higher.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2024
Verb
Proposals to reduce the cost of big federal benefit programs, which were a GOP hallmark pre-Trump, have fallen out of favor.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
At least eight items can be housed in each bin (depending on their size), and the sides are high enough to prevent them from falling out or tipping over.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
The pharaoh’s annual tour fell out of favor, replaced by scribes who kept meticulous records of how much was owed and who still needed to pay.
—Kate McMahon, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
While pitcher wins have fallen out of fashion, a 15-0 record in his past 15 decisions is almost absurd enough to matter.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
It was also punctuated by a public falling out with the team.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Mar. 2024
Butterfly stretch Lie on your back and place the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall out in a butterfly formation.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2024
Its guts fall out with a splat on the floor, its tongue lolling out of its head, dead eyes staring.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
She could be plunged into early menopause, her brain could fog like a dark winter’s night, her mouth could be full of ulcers, her fingernails may even fall out.
—Chloe Fox, Vogue, 23 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fallout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing fallout
Dictionary Entries Near fallout
Cite this Entry
“Fallout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallout. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
fallout
1 of 2 noun
fall·out
ˈfȯ-ˌlau̇t
: the often radioactive particles that are stirred up by or result from a nuclear explosion and descend through the atmosphere
fall out
2 of 2 verb(ˈ)fȯ-ˈlau̇t
1
: to have a quarrel
2
Medical Definition
fallout
noun
fall·out
ˈfȯ-ˌlau̇t
1
: the often radioactive particles stirred up by or resulting from a nuclear explosion and descending through the atmosphere
also
: other polluting particles (as volcanic ash) descending likewise
2
: descent (as of fallout) through the atmosphere
More from Merriam-Webster on fallout
Nglish: Translation of fallout for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of fallout for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fallout
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