fall away
become less or smaller little by little
What does "fall away" mean?
Examples
- After the initial excitement, enthusiasm for the project fell away quickly.
- Beyond the village, the land falls away steeply towards the river valley.
- Membership numbers have fallen away significantly over the past two years.
How to use it
The standard pattern — the subject is something measurable or abstract that decreases over time.
Attendance at the weekly meetings has fallen away steadily since the summer.
Adverbs of manner are very commonly added to show how quickly the decline is happening.
Public interest in the story fell away gradually over the following weeks.
A time phrase is often added to make the gradual nature of the decline explicit.
Public enthusiasm for the initiative fell away over the following months.
Often used to mark the point at which a decline begins, especially in narrative or analysis.
After the initial excitement, donations began to fall away.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
'Fall off' is more informal and often suggests a more noticeable or sudden drop, while 'fall away' implies a slower, more gradual decline. If you want to describe a steady, progressive decrease, 'fall away' is the better choice.
In this sense, the subject must be the thing that is decreasing — not a person. A person cannot 'fall away' in the diminishment sense.
'Fall away' implies gradual decline, not a sudden collapse. For a sharp, dramatic drop, 'drop off', 'plummet', or 'collapse' would be more appropriate.
Usage
This phrasal verb has two uses: describing something (like interest or support) that decreases gradually, and describing terrain (like a hill or cliff) that slopes downward. Both uses are neutral in register and appear in both writing and careful speech.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use 'fall away' to describe a very sudden drop in numbers?
Not ideally — 'fall away' implies a gradual, steady decline rather than a sharp or sudden one. If you want to describe a quick or dramatic drop, 'fall off' or 'drop off' would sound more natural. Reserve 'fall away' for situations where the decrease happens progressively over time.
What kinds of subjects work with 'fall away'?
The most natural subjects are abstract nouns like support, interest, enthusiasm, attendance, membership, popularity, sales, and demand. The subject is always the thing that is decreasing — never a person.
Is 'fall away' more common in writing or in speech?
'Fall away' is particularly common in journalism, business reports, and descriptive writing. In conversation, it tends to appear in more careful, articulate speech — it is not strongly informal, but it is not typical of very casual everyday talk either.
Can I use 'fall away' in the present continuous?
Yes, the present continuous is grammatically fine and can emphasise that a decline is in progress — for example, 'Support is falling away as the campaign continues.' However, the present simple is often preferred to describe a general trend, especially in written analysis.
Does 'fall away' have other meanings?
Yes — 'fall away' can also describe terrain or land that slopes downward progressively, as in 'the hillside falls away steeply towards the river'. That's a separate sense from the gradual-decrease meaning covered here.
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