fallout

1 of 2

noun

fall·​out ˈfȯl-ˌau̇t How to pronounce fallout (audio)
1
a
: the often radioactive particles stirred up by or resulting from a nuclear explosion and descending through the atmosphere
also : other polluting particles (such as volcanic ash) descending likewise
b
: descent (as of fallout) through the atmosphere
2
: a secondary and often lingering effect, result, or set of consequences
have to take a position and accept the political falloutAndy Logan

fall out

2 of 2

verb

fell out; fallen out; falling out; falls out

intransitive verb

1
: quarrel
also : to cut off relations over a quarrel
former friends who have fallen out
2
: turn out, happen
expected to be in the States …  , but things fell out otherwiseMark Twain
3
a
: to leave one's place in the ranks
b
: to leave a building in order to take one's place in a military formation

Examples of fallout in a Sentence

Noun concerned about the possible political fallout from the scandal Verb club members were soon falling out about how to spend the money they'd made washing cars I had planned to have a sports career, but things fell out otherwise.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Perhaps the best part of the tour was listening to Scahill talk about the challenges of being a musician, of dealing with success, and fallouts; of dealing with critics, and comparisons. Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 Trump previously ruled out the idea of choosing Pence as his running mate again after their fallout over the Capitol riot. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 But even millennials—who joined the workforce in the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis—know a thing or two about resorting to unusual tactics when job hunting. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 7 Mar. 2024 Chapman will have to navigate any potential fallout from that situation and the political dynamics between Chandler's police department higher-ups and union leaders. Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 In October, the Anthropocene Working Group proposed that an Anthropocene epoch started in the mid-20th century, when nuclear weapons tests left radioactive fallout across the planet. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024 The fallout of the assertion about Meek, and his ensuing response, became a quintessential X dumpster fire, where quote posts and memes flew at a feverish pace by people trying to go viral. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024 The revocation and Duckworth’s letter recalled troubles from a few years ago, after two 737 Max 8 planes crashed and Boeing had to deal with the fallout. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024 After the fallout with Iglesias, Fernandez said he was contacted by Rojas, who met his criteria and expressed interest in the job. Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
The extra day keeps calendars and seasons from gradually falling out of sync and impacting harvesting, planting and other cycles based on the seasons. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024 Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger volumes, is starting to reel from the impact of Boeing’s safety scrutiny after a panel fell out from one of its Alaska Airline airplanes in January. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 26 Feb. 2024 Two roaches were in a paper towel dispenser next to the stove and one fell out of the paper towel dispenser into the hand sink next to the stove. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Johnson and Safdie first connected on the project in 2019, but fell out of touch and put the film on hold due to the pandemic. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 29 Feb. 2024 Historically, value investing has outperformed the more glamorous growth investing approach, but the approach can also fall out of favor at times. Charles Rotblut, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 As foreign service officers jockey and jive for influence, power, and a sense of significance, minorities, deprived of institutional support, are falling out of the ranks, victim to gaslighting and other adversities. Byjenny Abamu, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024 If there was a slight falling out or disruption in one of these relationships in October, pay attention to the twists and turns that are bringing you around another bend in this road. Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024 But according to records, Bertsch and Haggerty had a falling out the next year over a plan for Bertsch to move back to La Jolla. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fallout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fallout was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near fallout

Cite this Entry

“Fallout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallout. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fallout

1 of 2 noun
fall·​out ˈfȯ-ˌlau̇t How to pronounce fallout (audio)
: the often radioactive particles that are stirred up by or result from a nuclear explosion and descend through the atmosphere

fall out

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)fȯ-ˈlau̇t
1
: to have a quarrel
2

Medical Definition

fallout

noun
fall·​out ˈfȯ-ˌlau̇t How to pronounce fallout (audio)
1
: the often radioactive particles stirred up by or resulting from a nuclear explosion and descending through the atmosphere
also : other polluting particles (as volcanic ash) descending likewise
2
: descent (as of fallout) through the atmosphere

More from Merriam-Webster on fallout

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