fall by the wayside
English
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fall by the wayside
- /ˈfɔːl baɪ ðə ˈweɪsaɪd/ UK
- /ˈfɔl baɪ ðə ˈweɪˌsaɪd/ US
Where it comes from
From the Parable of the Sower told by Jesus and recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, the term appearing in Matthew 13:4, Mark 4:4, and Luke 8:5. The parable is the story of a farmer who sows seed, and “some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it” (Luke 8:5). Jesus then explains: “The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside, are they that hear: then cometh the Devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe, and be saved.” (Luke 8:11–12, King James Version, spelling modernized.)
The English term is derived from Ancient Greek ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν (épesen parà tḕn hodón, literally “fell beside the path”).
verb falls by the wayside · falling by the wayside · fell by the wayside · fallen by the wayside
- To fail to be completed, particularly for lack of interest; to be left out, to suffer from neglect. When I faint and fall by the wayside of my cares, it [a "cup of favor"] shall give me strength to bear up, as the refreshments of your sympathy seem to flow from its lip, and when I thirst, it shall be as one of the consecrated fountains of my relief.
Translations
Every language
verb to fail to be completed, particularly for lack of interest; to be left out, to suffer from neglect
| 中文 | 虎頭蛇尾 /虎头蛇尾 hǔtóushéwěi |
|---|---|
| Français | être sur le carreau, rester sur le carreau |
| Deutsch | auf der Strecke bleiben, in Vergessenheit geraten, vernachlässigt werden, verkümmern |
| Italiano | arenarsi, cadere nel dimenticatoio, fallire |
Talk about this word "fall by the wayside." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fall%20by%20the%20wayside. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. fall by the wayside. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20by%20the%20wayside "fall by the wayside." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20by%20the%20wayside.Cite this
@misc{fall_by_the_wayside_2026,
title = {fall by the wayside},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20by%20the%20wayside},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
