ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fall through

idiom
Meaning

To be unsuccessful, come to nothing; to be cancelled; not to proceed.


Examples
SIMPLE

Our plans for the weekend fell through.

CONTEXTUAL

The deal fell through because the company could not agree on the final price.

COMPLEX

Despite months of careful negotiation, the entire merger fell through when the primary investors suddenly withdrew their support.

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