drop by the wayside
Verb phrase: - To give up or stop participating in an activity, endeavor, or competition, especially due to difficulty, lack of hope, or defeat. It implies ceasing to continue or falling behind while others proceed.
This phrase is used to describe someone who quits or fails to continue with a task, project, or journey. It often carries a nuance of falling out of a group or process that others are continuing. - Many students start the online course, but a few always drop by the wayside after the first difficult assignment. - Several runners dropped by the wayside in the marathon's final miles due to exhaustion.
- "to fall by the wayside": This is a very common variant with the same meaning. The choice between "drop" and "fall" is often stylistic.
- Many New Year's resolutions fall by the wayside by February.
- Fall by the wayside (verb phrase): To fail to continue; to be abandoned or forgotten. This is a direct synonym.
- Give up (verb): To stop trying or doing something.
- Drop out (phrasal verb): To leave a course, competition, or activity before it is finished.
- Give up
- Quit
- Throw in the towel
- Admit defeat
- Bow out
- Throw in the towel: To admit defeat or quit, originating from boxing.
- After years of struggling with the business, he finally threw in the towel.
- Call it a day: To decide to stop working on something for the time being.
- We've made good progress; let's call it a day.
The phrase originates from the literal image of a tired traveler dropping something or collapsing at the side of a road (the wayside), unable to continue the journey. It is now used almost exclusively in its figurative sense to describe giving up on any continuing effort.
- give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope; admit defeat
- In the second round, the challenger gave up