drop away
1. To fall off of something. If this many needles are dropping away from the Christmas tree, it's definitely time to get rid of it. I guess the dog was up here because I see that all my clean laundry has dropped away from the couch! A: "What's this mess on the floor?" B: "Petals that have dropped away from the bouquet."
2. To become sequentially absent one at a time, or gradually decline in number or quantity. Attendance usually spikes after the New Year and then drops away. During the playoffs, teams drop away until only two are left to play each other in the championship game. If my friends keep getting married and dropping away, I'll be left with no one!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
drop away
1. . Lit. to fall off; to fall away. The leaves were still dropping away from the trees in November. The dead branches dropped away from the tree.
2. Fig. [for a group of people] to decline in number over time through disinterest or attrition. His friends gradually dropped away as the years passed. As the other contenders dropped away, Mary's chances for election improved.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.