# fall by the wayside

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/fall-by-the-wayside
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To fail to be completed, particularly for lack of interest; to be left out, to suffer from neglect.

## Examples

- Many of my old hobbies fall by the wayside as I get busier.
- My New Year's resolutions usually fall by the wayside by February.
- Because the team focused only on the most profitable projects, the smaller, creative ideas fell by the wayside.
- When the company faced a financial crisis, their plans to build a new staff gym fell by the wayside to save money.
- In the rush to modernize the city, many of the traditional local customs have unfortunately fallen by the wayside.

## Origin

The expression derives from the Parable of the Sower, recorded in Matthew 13:4 and Luke 8:5. As the sower scatters seed, some falls by the wayside — on the path or roadside — where it is trodden underfoot and eaten by birds before it can take root and grow. In the parable this seed represents an effort that comes to nothing. Over time the phrase broadened beyond its farming image to describe any person or plan that drops out, fails, or is abandoned along the way rather than reaching its goal.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.