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fall out

noun, verb

fall out is a noun meaning “Synonym of falling out (“rift following a disagreement or quarrel”)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled F-A-L-L-O-U-T. The plural of fall out is fall outs or fall-outs.

What does fall out mean?

noun

  1. 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.

verb

  1. 1

    To come out of something by falling.

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

  2. 2

    To cease to be on friendly terms.

    Dave and I fell out after a long argument.

  3. 3

    To leave one's place in the current formation of ranks in order to take one's place in a new formation.

  4. 4

    To leave one's current location to report for duty at a new location.

    The company fell out for an artillery drill.

  5. 5

    To pass out.

  6. 6

    datedTo turn out, happen.

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

  7. 7

    obsoleteTo fall off due to the quoins holding it in place having become wet and therefore loose.

  8. 8

    To give way under someone.

    The board he was walking on fell out.

noun

as fall-out
  1. 1

    Alternative spelling of fallout.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you pronounce fall out?

  • Australia

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-fall_out.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of fall out

  • fall outs plural
  • falls out present, singular, he/she/it
  • falling out participle, present
  • fell out past
  • fallen out participle, past
  • fall-outs plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Words people confuse with fall out

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

Also written: fallout (one word or two).

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

Fall out in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Germanausfallen, ausgehen (come out by falling)
Spanishcaerse (come out by falling), desavenirse, desconcertarse, malquistarse, cizañarse, encizañarse (cease to be on friendly terms)
Frenchbrouiller avec (cease to be on friendly terms)
Portuguesebrigar (cease to be on friendly terms)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.