falling-out

IPA/ˌfɔːlɪŋ ˈaʊt/
IPA/ˌfɔːlɪŋ ˈaʊt/

falling-out — noun

1. a serious disagreement that damages a friendship or other close relationship, so

1.nounC1
Definition

a serious disagreement that damages a friendship or other close relationship, so the people involved are no longer friendly afterwards.

Example

Joon had a falling-out with his business partner over unpaid bills.

pattern: have a falling-out with [someone] over [issue]

After the falling-out, Hoa and her cousin stopped inviting each other to family dinners.

result: the relationship stays damaged after the argument

Common collocations
  • have a falling-out
  • a bitter falling-out
  • a falling-out with someone
  • a falling-out over money
  • patch things up after a falling-out
Synonyms
  • quarrel

    focuses more on the argument itself than on the damaged relationship afterwards

  • rift

    suggests a deeper and often longer-lasting division

  • break

    more general; can describe any sudden split in a relationship

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

have a falling-out with [someone]

a falling-out over [something]

after a falling-out

Usage Note

Usually singular. Most often used with 'have' and followed by 'with' for the other person and 'over' for the cause of the disagreement.

Common Mistakes

I fell out from my brother last year.
I had a falling-out with my brother last year.
The noun usually goes with 'have', and the other person is introduced with 'with'.
They had a falling-out for money.
They had a falling-out over money.
Use 'over' to introduce the thing that caused the dispute.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Falling-out, quarrel, rift, fallout, and break-up all describe relationships going wrong, but they focus on different stages and types of damage. A quarrel is the argument itself, often a short spoken clash. A falling-out is the damaged relationship that follows, especially when two people stop being warm or friendly after that clash. A rift suggests a deeper and longer division, sometimes between families, teams, or political groups. Fallout is more formal and often points to the negative results of a dispute, not just the broken friendship. Break-up is mainly used for romantic relationships. A minor quarrel can pass quickly, but a serious quarrel may grow into a falling-out and later become a lasting rift.

quarrel ↗rift ↗fallout ↗break-up

Common collocations

Nouns

  • family falling-out
  • public falling-out
  • bitter falling-out

Phrases

  • have a falling-out
  • patch things up after a falling-out

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

This noun grew out of the phrasal verb 'fall out', which has long been used for people coming into conflict with each other. In English, 'fall' can describe moving into a new state, while 'out' often suggests separation or no longer being together. That combination produced the idea of people moving out of harmony. The hyphenated noun 'falling-out' later became a way to name both the quarrel and the damaged relationship that follows it.