as in altercation
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
the two friends have been lonely and miserable since they had a falling-out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily
club members were soon falling out about how to spend the money they'd made washing cars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in proving
to come to be
I had planned to have a sports career, but things fell out otherwise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of falling-out
Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
The two men had a falling-out after Rocky promised to pay for a funeral and Ephron lambasted him for not coming through.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2025
This marked a major falling-out between a star and Kazan, who six years earlier had helped birth Brando’s electrifying and libido-arousing Broadway breakout as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire.
—airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024
There has been intense speculation about the long-term viability of the relationship, given the ambitions and personalities of the two men, with many people on social media predicting an eventual falling-out.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for falling-out
Noun
Hodge said that in August 2013, amid a falling-out, Oellrich took a piece of paper with her Facebook address on it and turned it in to prison officials, claiming that Hodge had slipped it into his lunchbox.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
The two men had a falling-out after Rocky promised to pay for a funeral and Ephron lambasted him for not coming through.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2025
This marked a major falling-out between a star and Kazan, who six years earlier had helped birth Brando’s electrifying and libido-arousing Broadway breakout as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire.
—airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024
There has been intense speculation about the long-term viability of the relationship, given the ambitions and personalities of the two men, with many people on social media predicting an eventual falling-out.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for falling-out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling-out
Noun
-
Jaques said officers at 7:49 a.m. on Sunday received a complaint from a woman who reported that someone was following her vehicle while waving a gun following an altercation at a local gas station.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2025
-
Initial data provided by the department suggest that practicing the martial art not only helps boost officers' physical and mental health, but also enables cops to use less force during an arrest or altercation.—
Katja Ridderbusch,
NPR,
26 May 2025
Verb
-
An alien spaceship has spiked an immensely popular bubblegum with an interdimensional ectoplasm that turns everyone who chews it into zombies, and the only ones who can save humanity are bickering foster brothers Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza).—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Pratt, whose character plays like a cross between Han Solo and Jack Burton, is gifted with a moment or two, bickering with Herman like a married couple and yeeting cars at Sentre headquarters.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
An ‘endangered’ town starts planning With federal recognition proving elusive, a Brooklyn school grant writer named Kay Diamond suggested that Rogers and others look to Landmarks Illinois for help.—
Jonathan Bullington,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2025
-
From its game-changing launch on January 21st, 2025, to its innovative ecosystem, Crouton Jones is proving that trust, creativity, and community are the keys to success.—
Ethan Stone,
USA TODAY,
5 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The defense attorney suggested that Cassie’s rape allegation stemmed from a complicated quarrel playing out as their decade-plus relationship came to an end.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
-
Other great powers will have their territorial goals and quarrels and this does not normally concern you.—
Frank Lavin,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Noun
-
Those CBAs also require that should there be a dispute as to whether the league, a club, a union, or a player abided by their obligations under the CBA, such dispute be settled through a confidential arbitration process.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
The Supreme Court on May 27 declined to get involved in a dispute about mining on land sacred to the San Carlos Apache Tribe, a case that religious groups backed to test the scope of a 1993 federal law protecting religious freedom.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
However, some Democrats, including Massachusetts Representative Seth Moulton, suggested the backlash was overblown, arguing that public opinion is shifting in favor of restrictions on transgender athletes.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The president justified his decision by arguing that all three of the nations were not doing enough to curb the influx of drugs, specifically fentanyl, coming into the United States.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The suit recounts numerous comments made by Trump and the White House attacking PBS’ content, to underscore the point that the defunding is motivated by disagreement over speech.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
30 May 2025
-
The question – at the center of disagreements over transgender athletes’ participation in sports – has echoed from high school running tracks to Olympic arenas as lawmakers and sports bodies face intense pressure to weigh in on a debate over what fair play looks like.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
However, these incidents underscore the importance of regularly updating your devices to stay protected against evolving threats.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
14 Mar. 2025
-
How have your partnerships — romantic, professional, or otherwise — been evolving?—
Colin Bedell,
Them,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Falling-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling-out. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share