as in decreases
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 falls away
Beyond them, the concrete of the 21st century falls away, replaced by creamy pillars and marble paving stretching into the distance, with green hills beyond.
—
Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Perusing the peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie recipe that Khoury has given Vogue from his book (yes, the one Nigella Lawson loves), any cynicism falls away.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2025
The doc conceit falls away, replaced by a shallow attempt at the eerily elegant, off-kilter horror style codified by 2018’s Hereditary.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
The world falls away below while autumn air embraces you and bursts of color paint the seams between the pines.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Thrill seekers stand on a trap door before the floor falls away, plunging riders through the loops and into a splash pool.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Yet when the family returns to Bilbao, the soundtrack falls away.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
The question with anything like this is whether a stricter application of the rules is here to stay or just a fad that, much like a New Year’s resolution, starts promisingly but quickly falls away.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
When all of the ornamentation falls away, especially now that the show’s in its third season, Billeter thinks that the camera and the composition of the frame can really get at the emotional storylines.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2025
Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Perusing the peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie recipe that Khoury has given Vogue from his book (yes, the one Nigella Lawson loves), any cynicism falls away.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2025
The doc conceit falls away, replaced by a shallow attempt at the eerily elegant, off-kilter horror style codified by 2018’s Hereditary.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
The world falls away below while autumn air embraces you and bursts of color paint the seams between the pines.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Thrill seekers stand on a trap door before the floor falls away, plunging riders through the loops and into a splash pool.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Yet when the family returns to Bilbao, the soundtrack falls away.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
The question with anything like this is whether a stricter application of the rules is here to stay or just a fad that, much like a New Year’s resolution, starts promisingly but quickly falls away.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
When all of the ornamentation falls away, especially now that the show’s in its third season, Billeter thinks that the camera and the composition of the frame can really get at the emotional storylines.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falls away
Verb
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Elevated heart rate and less endurance As hydration drops, blood volume decreases, forcing the heart to work harder to maintain cardiac output.—
Katharine Gammon,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
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As the incivility and tribalism of our politics increase, the quality of our political discourse decreases accordingly.—
Bradley Gitz,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This, in my opinion, diminishes that.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
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Maybe, too, Giannis gets hurt again in March and his trade value diminishes a bit more.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Those physicians worry the impacts will last long after the surge subsides.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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As the mayhem subsides, a silhouette of a lone Charli remains.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When night falls over the ship, step into the theater to see a jaw-dropping performance.—
Megan duBois,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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The State of Texas must pick up on compassionate border security that picks up where the Federal Government falls short.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even after the snow tapers off, the weekend will remian breezy and cold across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with wind gusts of 30 to over 60 mph possible.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
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Travel conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly once snow begins, and hazardous conditions could persist into Sunday morning before snow tapers off.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As the population ages and the number of college students declines, institutions of higher education are actively cultivating a crop of midlife and older students.—
Allison Aubrey,
NPR,
9 Feb. 2026
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Ed Setzler declines to run to replace Barry Loudermilk.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Falls away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falls%20away. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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