View synonyms for fall

fall

[ fawl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used without object)

, fell, fall·en, fall·ing.

to drop or descend under the force of gravity, as to a lower place through loss or lack of support.
to come or drop down suddenly to a lower position, especially to leave a standing or erect position suddenly, whether voluntarily or not:
to fall on one's knees.
to become less or lower; become of a lower level, degree, amount, quality, value, number, etc.; decline:
The temperature fell ten degrees.
Stock prices fell to a new low for the year.
to subside or abate.
extend downward; hang down:
Her hair falls to her shoulders.
to become lowered or directed downward, as the eyes:
My eyes fell before his steady gaze.
to become lower in pitch or volume:
Her voice fell, and she looked about in confusion.
to succumb to temptation or sin, especially to become unchaste or to lose one's innocence.
to lose status, dignity, position, character, etc.
to succumb to attack:
The city fell to the enemy.
to be overthrown, as a government.
to drop down wounded or dead, especially to be slain:
to fall in battle.
to pass into some physical, mental, or emotional condition:
to fall asleep; to fall in love.
to envelop or come as if by dropping, as stillness or night.
to issue forth:
Witty remarks fall easily from his lips.
to come by lot or chance:
The chore fell to him.
to come by chance into a particular position:
to fall among thieves.
to come to pass, occur, or become at a certain time:
Christmas falls on a Monday this year.
The rent falls due the first of every month.
to have its proper place:
The accent falls on the last syllable.
to come by right:
The inheritance fell to the only living relative.
to be naturally divisible (usually followed by into ):
The story fell into two distinct parts.
to lose animation; appear disappointed, as the face:
His face fell when he heard the bad news.
to slope or extend in a downward direction:
The field falls gently to the river.
to be directed, as light, sight, etc., on something:
His eyes fell upon the note on the desk.
to collapse, as through weakness, damage, poor construction, or the like; topple or sink:
The old tower fell under its own weight.
The cake fell when he slammed the oven door.
(of an animal, especially a lamb) to be born:
Two lambs fell yesterday.

verb (used with object)

, fell, fall·en, fall·ing.

to fell (a tree, animal, etc.).

noun

an act or instance of falling or dropping from a higher to a lower place or position.
that which falls or drops:
a heavy fall of rain.
the season of the year that comes after summer and before winter; autumn.
a becoming less; a lowering or decline; a sinking to a lower level:
the fall of the Roman Empire.
the distance through which anything falls:
It is a long fall to the ground from this height.
Usually falls. a cataract or waterfall.
downward slope or declivity:
the gentle rise and fall of the meadow.
a falling from an erect position, as to the ground:
to have a bad fall.
a hanging down:
a fall of long hair.
a succumbing to temptation; lapse into sin.
the Fall, (sometimes lowercase) Theology. the lapse of human beings into a state of natural or innate sinfulness through the sin of Adam and Eve.
Slang. an arrest by the police.
surrender or capture, as of a city.
proper place:
the fall of an accent on a syllable.
Wrestling.
1. an act or instance of holding or forcing an opponent's shoulders against the mat for a specified length of time.
2. a match or division of a match.
a hairpiece consisting of long hair that is attached to one's own hair at the crown and usually allowed to hang freely down the back of the head so as to cover or blend with the natural hair.
an opaque veil hanging loose from the back of a hat.
falling band.
a decorative cascade of lace, ruffles, or the like.
Machinery, Nautical. the part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting.
Hunting. a deadfall.
the long soft hair that hangs over the forehead and eyes of certain terriers.
Armor. a pivoted peak projecting over the face opening of a burgonet.
Astrology. the sign of the zodiac in which the most negative influence of a planet is expressed ( exaltation ).
Mining. rock or ore that has collapsed from a roof, hanging wall, or the sides of a passage.

verb phrase

to come to nothing; fail of realization:
Despite all his efforts, the deal fell through.
1. to separate from; withdraw.
2. to decrease in number, amount, or intensity; diminish:
  Tourism falls off when the summer is over.
3. Nautical. to deviate from the heading; fall to leeward.
4. South Midland and Southern U.S. to lose weight, usually due to illness:
  She was sick all winter and fell off till she was just skin and bones.
to give way; recede; retreat:
The relentless shelling forced the enemy to fall back.
Slang.
1. to be deceived by:
  Imagine falling for such an old trick.
2. to fall in love with:
  He's not at all the type you would expect her to fall for.
1. to lag, in pace or progress:
  We are falling behind in our work. Fatigued, some of the marchers fell behind.
2. to fail to pay (a debt, obligation, etc.) at the appointed time:
  She fell behind in her tax payments, and the property was confiscated.
1. to be the concern or responsibility of.
2. to be classified as; be included within:
  That case falls under the heading of errors of judgment.
1. to assault; attack:
  The enemy fell on them suddenly from the rear.
2. to be the obligation of:
  It has fallen on me to support the family.
3. to experience; encounter:
  Once well-to-do, they had fallen on hard times.
4. to chance upon; come upon:
  I fell upon the idea while looking through a magazine.
1. to fall to pieces toward the interior; sink inward.
2. to take one's place in the ranks, as a soldier.
3. Also fall in with. to become acquainted with, especially by chance:
  We fell in with an interesting couple from Paris.
1. to quarrel; disagree:
  We fell out over who was to wash the dishes.
2. to happen; occur:
  It fell out that we met by chance weeks later.
3. to leave one's place in the ranks, as a soldier:
  They were ordered to fall out when the parade ended.
4. Slang. to burst out laughing.
5. South Midland and Southern U.S. to become unconscious; pass out.
1. to apply oneself; begin:
  to fall to work.
2. to begin to eat:
  They fell to and soon finished off the entire turkey.
1. Also fall back to. to retreat to:
  They fell back on their entrenchments. The troops fell back to their original position.
2. to have recourse to; rely on:
  They had no savings to fall back on.
Informal. to perform disappointingly; to disappoint; fail:
He was doing well on the exam until he fell down on the last essay question.
1. to withdraw support or allegiance:
  The candidate's supporters fell away when he advocated racial discrimination.
2. to become lean or thin; diminish; decline.
3. to forsake one's faith, cause, or principles:
  Many fell away because they were afraid of reprisals.

Fall

[ fawl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Albert Bacon, 1861–1944, U.S. politician: senator 1912–21; secretary of the Interior 1921–23; convicted in Teapot Dome scandal.

Fall

/ fɔːl /

noun

the Fall
theol Adam's sin of disobedience and the state of innate sinfulness ensuing from this for himself and all mankind See also original sin

fall

/ fɔːl /

verb

to descend by the force of gravity from a higher to a lower place
to drop suddenly from an erect position
to collapse to the ground, esp in pieces
to become less or lower in number, quality, etc
prices fell in the summer
to become lower in pitch
to extend downwards
her hair fell to her waist
to be badly wounded or killed
to slope in a downward direction
Christianity to yield to temptation or sin
to diminish in status, estimation, etc
to yield to attack
the city fell under the assault
to lose power
the government fell after the riots
to pass into or take on a specified condition
fall in love
to fall asleep
to adopt a despondent expression
her face fell
to be averted
her gaze fell
to come by chance or presumption
suspicion fell on the butler
to occur; take place
Easter falls early this year
night fell
(of payments) to be due
to be directed to a specific point
foll byback, behind, etc to move in a specified direction
to occur at a specified place
the accent falls on the last syllable
foll by to to return (to); be inherited (by)
the estate falls to the eldest son
often foll byinto, under, etc to be classified or included
the subject falls into two main areas
to issue forth
a curse fell from her lips
(of animals, esp lambs) to be born
dialect.
to become pregnant
dialect.
tr to fell (trees)
cricket (of a batsman's wicket) to be taken by the bowling side
the sixth wicket fell for 96
archaic.
to begin to do
fall to doing
fall a-doing
fall flat
to fail to achieve a desired effect
fall foul of
1. to come into conflict with
2. nautical to come into collision with
fall short
1. to prove inadequate
2. often foll by of to fail to reach or measure up to (a standard)

noun

an act or instance of falling
something that falls
a fall of snow
autumn
the distance that something falls
a hundred-foot fall
a sudden drop from an upright position
often plural
1. a waterfall or cataract
2. ( capital when part of a name )
  Niagara Falls
a downward slope or decline
a decrease in value, number, etc
a decline in status or importance
a moral lapse or failing
a capture or overthrow
the fall of the city
a long false hairpiece; switch
a piece of loosely hanging material, such as a veil on a hat
machinery nautical the end of a tackle to which power is applied to hoist it
nautical one of the lines of a davit for holding, lowering, or raising a boat
Also calledpinfall wrestling a scoring move, pinning both shoulders of one's opponent to the floor for a specified period
hunting
1. another word for deadfall
2. ( as modifier )
  a fall trap
1. the birth of an animal
2. the animals produced at a single birth
take the fall slang.
to be blamed, punished, or imprisoned

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Other Words From

un·fall·ing adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of fall¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English fallen, Old English feallan; cognate with German fallen, Old Norse falla; akin to Lithuanian pùlti “to fall”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of fall¹

Old English feallan ; related to Old Norse falla , Old Saxon, Old High German fallan to fall; see fell ²

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

fall all over oneself, to show unusual or excessive enthusiasm or eagerness, especially in the hope of being favored or rewarded: Also fall over oneself.
The young trainees fell all over themselves to praise the boss's speech.
fall off the roof, Slang: Older Use. to menstruate.
fall out of bed, to get out of bed quickly.
fall over backward(s),
1. bend ¹( def 21 ).
2. to exhibit great eagerness, especially in pursuit of one's own advantage:
  The candidate fell over backward in support of the issues that would win votes.
fall / come short. short ( def 45 ).
fall / land on one's feet. feet ( def 3 ).
fall foul / afoul of. foul ( def 38 ).

More idioms and phrases containing fall

bottom drops (falls) out
break one's fall
easy as pie (falling off a log)
let drop (fall)
let the chips fall where they may
ride for a fall
take the fall

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Example Sentences

They split up around the time the label deal fell through, which he figures now was for the better.

From Los Angeles Times

“In the U.S. because we don’t have a comprehensive federal privacy law ... it falls to the state level,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

"She had this amazing gift of becoming friends very, very fast with people. And they all fell in love with her," she said.

From BBC

Argentine officials determined that the singer died from multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding caused by the fall.

From Los Angeles Times

As devolution rose and fell, he was a permanent fixture on the UTV evening news programme.

From BBC

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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