fall away
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fall away
1. To fall from a particular surface, thing, or place. Glitter keeps falling away from those darn Christmas cards.
2. To decline or lessen. Because this project is taking so long to complete, people's excitement about it has really fallen away.
3. To stop supporting or interacting with someone. After I got that big promotion, I found that a lot of my old friends at work fell away.
4. To stop adhering to the beliefs of a particular person, cause, or group. I fell away from my parents' political views as I got older.
5. To stop following a particular course of action. I fell away from our original plan for the experiment when it didn't produce the results we'd hoped for.
6. To create physical distance between oneself and someone or something; to recede or retreat from someone or something. I fell away from the trail as soon as I noticed a big beehive up ahead. She fell away from the rest of the group so that she could sneak off on her own.
7. To reach a higher incline further away. Be careful because the street falls away in about a mile.
8. To disappear. When I'm with him, the hours just fall away—I've never had such a good time with anyone in my life! The pounds have been falling away ever since I started dieting and exercising.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
fall away
(from someone or something)1. Lit. [for something] to drop away from someone or something. The paint is falling away from the sides of the house. Over the years, all the paint fell away.
2. Fig. [for someone] to move back or retreat from someone or something. The soldiers fell away from the line of battle.
3. Fig. to distance oneself from someone; to end an association with someone. The candidate's supporters fell away from her when they heard about the scandal.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
fall away
1. Also, fall off. Withdraw one's friendship, support, or allegiance. For example, After the divorce, her friends slowly fell away. [Early 1500s]
2. Also, fall off. Gradually decline in size or strength, as in The breeze slowly fell away, or, as Shakespeare put it ( King Lear, 1:2): "Love cools, friendship falls off, Brothers divide." [Early 1500s]
3. Drift from an established faith, cause, or principles. For example, I fell away from the Catholic Church when I was a teenager. [Early 1500]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fall away
v.
1. To become gradually diminished in size, amount, or intensity: Company revenues have been falling away in recent years. The sound of the car fell away into the distance.
2. To drift off an established course or pattern: I slowly fell away from my work in chemistry and spent more time writing fiction.
3. To be shed, lost, or discarded: Before we knew it, the summer days had fallen away. As I exercised, inches fell away from my waistline.
4. To drop off or become steeper at a distance: The road falls away just past the meadow.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.