fall through — fail to happen
phrasal verbB2IELTS 5.5+neutralcommon
If something such as a plan or arrangement falls through, it does not happen as expected, usually because something goes wrong.
Say it like a native
Textbook Unfortunately, the proposed arrangement did not come to fruition.
Native Sadly, the whole thing fell through.
'Fall through' is the natural verb for plans collapsing; 'did not come to fruition' is corporate.
Pattern: fall through (subject: plan, arrangement, deal, etc.)
In use
- Our holiday plans fell through when the airline canceled our flights.daily life
- I was supposed to study abroad last year, but unfortunately, the program fell through because of visa issues.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ The house sale fell through down.
✓ The house sale fell through.
'Fall through' is complete — don't add 'down'.
Common collocations
fall through + plan/deal— the deal, the sale, plans, at the last minute
Don't confuse it
Do not confuse with 'fall apart,' which means to break into pieces or stop working emotionally.