# fall off the wagon

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/fall-off-the-wagon
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To cease or fail at a regimen of self-improvement or reform; to lapse back into an old habit or addiction.

## Examples

- He tried to quit sugar but fell off the wagon yesterday.
- After three months of eating healthy, she fell off the wagon during her vacation and ate only junk food.
- Despite his firm resolve to maintain a disciplined lifestyle, the stress of the project caused him to fall off the wagon and return to his former habits.

## Origin

Originally fall off the water wagon or fall off the water cart, referring to carts used to hose down dusty roads: see the 1901 quotation below. The suggestion is that a person who is “on the wagon” is drinking water rather than alcoholic beverages. The term may have been used by the early 20th-century temperance movement in the United States; for instance, William Hamilton Anderson (1874 – c. 1959), the superintendent of the New York Anti-Saloon League, is said to have made the following remark about Prohibition: “Be a good sport about it. No more falling off the water wagon. Uncle Sam will help you keep your pledge.” (disputed)

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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.