fall out

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fall out (plural fall outs)

1. A disagreement, parting of ways.

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

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.

   • 1621, 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, Oxford: Printed by Iohn Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 216894069; The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd corrected and augmented edition, Oxford: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, 1624, OCLC 54573970, 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 Sr 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)
   1. (literally) To leave one's place in the current formation of ranks in order to take one's place in a new formation.
   2. (figuratively) To leave one's current location to report for duty at a new location.

      The company fell out for an artillery drill.

4. (dialectal, intransitive) To pass out.
5. (dated) To turn out, happen.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 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.

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

• outfall