fallaway

1 of 2

adjective

fall·​away ˈfȯl-ə-ˌwā 

: made while moving away from the basket in basketball

a fallaway jump shot

fallaway noun

fall away

2 of 2

verb

fell away; fallen away; falling away; falls away

intransitive verb

1

a

: to withdraw friendship or support

b

: to renounce one's faith

2

a

: to diminish gradually in size

b

: to drift off a course

Synonyms

Verb

• abate
• de-escalate
• decline
• decrease
• die (away or down or out)
• diminish
• drain (away)
• drop (off)
• dwindle
• ease
• ebb
• fall
• lessen
• let up
• lower
• moderate
• pall
• phase down
• ratchet (down)
• rachet (down)
• recede
• relent
• remit
• shrink
• subside
• taper
• taper off
• wane

Examples of fallaway in a Sentence

Verb

as the years went by, the public's interest in the murder case fell away

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

His fallaway, one-legged jumper at 6-11 is impossible to defend. —Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2023

And from the driver's seat, the thing looks racy, sporting a short, fallaway hood and sweeping lines (accentuated in the CRX by the roof tapering down behind your head to an impertinent little ducktail). —Kevin Smith, Car and Driver, 4 Mar. 2023

Verb

The bad nerves fell away on a quick grade to calmness and resolve. —John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024

Today, these sources of opposition have all fallen away. —Michael Knights, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1936, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1a