fallaway
fallaway Lexical Profile
fallaway Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Executed while moving, leaning, or jumping backward away from an opponent or a point of action.
"The guard sank a difficult fallaway jumper over the outstretched arms of the defender."
Designed to detach, separate, or drop off automatically after serving a temporary purpose.
"The rocket booster was fitted with fallaway umbilical cables that detached cleanly at liftoff."
• noun
A shot or maneuver, especially a jump shot in basketball, executed while leaning or drifting backward away from a defender.
"He practiced his baseline fallaway for hours until the defender could no longer block it."
A ballroom dance step in which both partners move backward simultaneously while maintaining the promenade position.
"The couple transitioned smoothly from a natural turn into a graceful fallaway during the waltz."
A gradual or steep downward slope, drop-off, or decline from a level surface or standard.
"The surveyors noted a sharp fallaway in the terrain just beyond the eastern ridge."
Word Nuance & Usage
The closed compound "fallaway" functions as a noun or adjective, whereas the two-word phrasal verb "fall away" is used for the action of dropping off or diminishing.