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Synonyms

fall down

British  

verb

  1. to drop suddenly or collapse

  2. informal (often foll by on) to prove unsuccessful; fail

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
fall down Idioms  

  1. Fail to meet expectations; lag in performance. For example, It was disappointing to see him fall down on the job. This expression transfers a literal drop to a figurative one. [Second half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Witless doesn’t even begin to describe celebrating those who are willing to fall down a hill for a keg of not very good beer at a wedding.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026

To date, they have tended to fall down when it comes to real-world hacking, where they have to do a series of complex tests, and then draw conclusions and take action.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

While employers are legally required to maintain benefit records, especially for pension and employer-sponsored life insurance, they too can fall down on the job.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 20, 2025

“The Chair Company” allows us to see how anyone might fall down the chutes into which Robinson’s Joe Average easily slides.

From Salon • Oct. 13, 2025

The path is still wild, and it’d be easy—too easy—for someone to slip, spin, fall down the hillside.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.