fall out

English

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Noun

fall out (plural fall outs)

1. Synonym of falling out (“rift following a disagreement or quarrel”)

   We had a fall out, couldn't come to terms and haven't talked since.

   • 2019, Angela Barton, Magnolia House:

     I've had a fall out with Nora, one of my tenants. She's packing up and leaving at this very moment.

Verb

fall out (third-person singular simple present falls out, present participle falling out, simple past fell out, past participle fallen out)

1. (literally) To come out of something by falling.

   I opened the cupboard and a can fell out onto my foot.

2. (intransitive, idiomatic) To cease to be on friendly terms.

   Dave and I fell out after a long argument.

   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Iealousie, His Equivocations, Name, Definition, Extent, Seuerall Kindes, of Princes, Parents, Friends. In Beasts, Men, before Marriage, as Corriuals, or after, as in this Place”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: , 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 3, section 3, member 1, subsection 1, pages 465–466:

     Petronius calleth this paſſion [i.e., jealousy] amantium furioſam æmulationem, a furious emulation, and their ſymptomes are well expreſſed by S^r Ieffrey Chaucer in his firſt Canterbury tale. It will make the neareſt & deareſt friends fall out; they will endure al other things to be common, goods, lands, moneyes, participate of all other pleaſures, and take in good part any diſgraces, iniuries in another kind, but as Propertius well deſcribes it in an Elegie of his, in this they will ſuffer nothing, have no corriuals.

   • 2011 December 14, Steven Morris, “Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave”, in Guardian‎:

     Before the incident Robins had fallen out with Knutton, 30. Knutton had made a complaint over Robins' boyfriend.

3. (military, intransitive, literally) To leave one's place in the current formation of ranks in order to take one's place in a new formation.
4. (military, intransitive, figuratively) To leave one's current location to report for duty at a new location.

   The company fell out for an artillery drill.

5. (dialect, intransitive) To pass out.
6. (dated) To turn out, happen.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Exodus 1:10:

     Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.

   • 1866, Mark Twain, in a letter to William Bowen, 7 May 1866

     I expected to be in the States long before this, but things fell out otherwise.

   • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:

     For days Ailie had an absent eye and a sad face, and it so fell out that in all that time young Heriotside, who had scarce missed a day, was laid up with a broken arm and never came near her.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• fall out in
• fall out of flesh
• fall out of lease
• fall out upon

Anagrams

• outfall