ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fall out

idiom
Meaning

To cease to be on friendly terms.


Examples
SIMPLE

They fell out over a small argument about money.

CONTEXTUAL

After working together for ten years, the two business partners fell out and decided to close the company.

COMPLEX

Despite their long history of mutual respect, the two scholars eventually fell out over irreconcilable differences regarding their research methodology.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    catch a falling knife

    To buy a financial instrument whose price is falling rapidly.

  2. 02

    fall apart

    To be emotionally in crisis.

  3. 03

    fall around

    To fall over continually, especially through drunkenness, clumsiness, or incompetence.

  4. 04

    fall asleep

    To be affected by paresthesia; to go numb.

  5. 05

    fall at the last hurdle

    To fail near the end of an activity, a project, etc.

  6. 06

    fall behind

    To be late (for a regular event)

  7. 07

    fall between the cracks

    To wind up in an unexpected situation which is, inadvertently, invisible to or not handled by whatever process one had hoped to be subject to; to be overlooked.

  8. 08

    fall between two stools

    To fit into neither of two categories and, hence, be neglected or fail.

Last updated April 17, 2026