fall

1 of 3

verb

ˈfȯl 

fell ˈfel  ; fallen ˈfȯ-lən  ; falling

intransitive verb

1

a

: to descend freely by the force of gravity

An apple fell from the tree.

b

: to hang freely

her hair falls over her shoulders

c

: to drop oneself to a lower position

fell to his knees

d

: to come or go as if by falling

darkness falls early in the winter

2

: to become born

—usually used of lambs

3

a

: to become lower in degree or level

the temperature fell 10°

b

: to drop in pitch or volume

their voices fell to a whisper

c

: issue sense 1a

wisdom that fell from his lips

d

: to become lowered

her eyes fell

4

a

: to leave an erect position suddenly and involuntarily

slipped and fell on the ice

b

: to enter as if unawares : stumble, stray

fell into error

We fell into a trap.

c

: to drop down wounded or dead

especially : to die in battle

Many men fell on the battlefield.

d

: to suffer military capture

after a long siege the city fell

e

: to lose office

the party fell from power

f

: to suffer ruin, defeat, or failure

the deal fell through

5

: to commit an immoral act

but man willfully misused his God-given freedom and fell into sin

—John Hick

especially : to lose one's chastity

6

a

: to move or extend in a downward direction

the land falls away to the east

b

: subside, abate

the wind is falling

c

: to decline in quality, activity, or quantity

production fell off

d

: to lose weight

—used with off or away

The cattle have fallen off badly in the drought.

e

: to assume a look of shame, disappointment, or dejection

his face fell

f

: to decline in financial value or price

stocks fell sharply

7

a

: to occur at a certain time

her birthday falls on a Monday this year

b

: to come by chance

a job that fell into his hands

c

: to come or pass by lot, assignment, or inheritance : devolve

it fell to him to break the news

d

: to have a certain or proper position, place, or station

the accent falls on the second syllable

8

: to come within the limits, scope, or jurisdiction of something

this word falls into the class of verbs

9

: to pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind or a new state or condition

fall asleep

fall in love

10

: to set about heartily or actively

fell to work

11

: strike, impinge

music falling on the ear

transitive verb

: fell sense 1

fall

2 of 3

noun

1

: the act of falling by the force of gravity

2

a

: a falling out, off, or away : dropping

the fall of leaves

a fall of snow

b

: the season when leaves fall from trees : autumn

c

: a thing or quantity that falls or has fallen

a fall of rock at the base of the cliff

especially : one or more meteorites or their fragments that have fallen together

d(1)

: birth

(2)

: the quantity born

—usually used of lambs

3

a

: a costume decoration of lace or thin fabric arranged to hang loosely and gracefully

b

: a very wide turned-down collar worn in the 17th century

c

: the part of a turnover collar from the crease to the outer edge

d

: a wide front flap on trousers (such as those worn by sailors)

e

: the freely hanging lower edge of the skirt of a coat

f

: one of the three outer and often drooping segments of the flower of an iris compare standard sense 8b

g

: long hair overhanging the face of dogs of some breeds

h

: a usually long straight portion of hair that is attached to a person's own hair

4

: a hoisting-tackle rope or chain

especially : the part of it to which the power is applied

5

a

: loss of greatness : collapse

the fall of the Roman Empire

b

: the surrender or capture of a besieged place

the fall of Troy

c

: lapse or departure from innocence or goodness

d

: loss of a woman's chastity

e

: the blame for a failure or misdeed

took the fall for the robbery

6

a

: the downward slope (as of a hill) : declivity

b

: a precipitous descent of water : waterfall

—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

c

: a musical cadence

d

: a falling-pitch intonation in speech

7

: a decrease in size, quantity, degree, or value

8

a

: the distance which something falls

b

: inclination, pitch

9

a

: the act of felling something

b

: the quantity of trees cut down

c(1)

: an act of forcing a wrestler's shoulders to the mat for a specified time (such as one second)

(2)

: a bout of wrestling

10

Scotland : destiny, lot

fall

3 of 3

adjective

: of, relating to, or suitable for autumn

a new fall coat

Phrases

fall all over oneself or fall over oneself or fall over backward

: to display great or excessive eagerness

Fans were falling all over themselves trying to get the basketball star's autograph.

fall apart

1

: disintegrate

The pie was falling apart as I served it.

2

: to succumb to mental or emotional stress : break down

She began to fall apart when her son was imprisoned.

fall behind

1

: to lag behind

The slower hikers fell behind the group.

2

: to be in arrears

He fell behind in his car payments.

fall between two stools

: to fail because of inability to choose between or reconcile two alternative or conflicting courses of action

fall flat

: to produce no response or result

the joke fell flat

fall for

1

: to fall in love with

He fell for her the moment he saw her.

2

: to become a victim of

fell for the trick

fall from grace

: to lose acceptance or good reputation

The governor fell from grace when he was accused of tax fraud.

fall home

: to curve inward

—used of the timbers or upper parts of a ship's side

fall into line

: to comply with a certain course of action

The company fell into line with the new regulations.

fall on or fall upon

: to meet with

fell on hard times

fall on one's face

: to fail utterly

the movie fell on its face at the box office

fall on one's sword

: to sacrifice one's pride or position

The coach fell on his sword apologizing for the team's poor season.

fall short

1

: to be deficient

The expedition's supplies began to fall short.

2

: to fail to attain something (such as a goal or target)

The results fell short of expectations.

Synonyms

Verb

• slip
• stumble
• topple
• trip
• tumble

Noun

• slip
• spill
• stumble
• tumble

Examples of fall in a Sentence

Verb

An apple fell from the tree.

A vase fell off the shelf.

Rain fell from the sky.

the sound of the falling rain

She slipped and fell on the ice.

He fell flat on his face.

She was afraid that I would trip and fall.

He fell down the stairs.

One of the sailors had fallen overboard.

He fell back onto the bed.

Noun

a fall from a horse

She's had several bad falls in recent years.

a fall of three feet

the rise and fall of the tide

She went off to college in the fall.

Several weeks of fall remain before winter begins.

When fall came he planted grass.

a fall in the price of oil

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Valor recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock after that as Regis fell a win short of the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. —Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 17 Nov. 2024

That’s in part because Democrats fell short in their bid to flip enough battleground districts in Southern California and the Central Valley to help the national party win a majority. —Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024

Noun

Just like its two predecessors, the 2018 Prop. 10 and 2020’s Prop. 21, this fall’s Prop. 33 lost handily. —Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024

Both of these citrus trees produce small orange fruit which first appear during the overcast days of fall and winter. —Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024

Adjective

On 31 March, shortly after Dior’s pre-fall extravaganza at the Gateway of India, the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre officially opened its doors in Mumbai, with the likes of Gigi Hadid, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Karlie Kloss turning out for the red-carpet launch. —Akanksha Kamath, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2023

The fashion industry experienced a first on Thursday: Dior showed its pre-fall collection in Mumbai, marking the first time a major fashion label outside of India has shown in the country. —Kevin Leblanc, ELLE, 31 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb, Noun, and Adjective

Middle English, from Old English feallan; akin to Old High German fallan to fall and perhaps to Lithuanian pulti

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1677, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fall

• be/fall prey to
• be riding for a fall
• break one's fall
• break one's/someone's fall
• collapse/fall in a heap
• come/fall apart at the seams
• drop/fall into someone's lap
• drop/fall/sank to one's knees
• fall armyworm
• fall asleep
• fall away
• fall back
• fall back on
• fall back upon
• fall down
• fall down on the job
• fall foul of
• fall from favor
• fall guy
• fall in
• fall in love
• fall into
• fall into decay
• fall into disfavor
• fall into disrepute
• fall into disuse
• fall into place
• fall into step
• fall into the hands of
• fall into the wrong hands
• fall in with
• fall line
• fall off
• fall off the radar
• fall off the wagon
• fall on deaf ears
• fall on one's feet
• fall out
• fall out of fashion
• fall out of love
• fall/run afoul of
• fall short of expectations
• fall sick
• fall through
• fall through/between the cracks
• fall to
• fall to pieces
• fall under
• fall victim to
• free fall
• let the chips fall where they may
• one's eyes fall on
• ride for a fall
• slip/fall through the net
• stand or fall
• wheels come/fall off

Kids Definition

fall

1 of 2 verb

ˈfȯl 

fell ˈfel  ; fallen ˈfȯ-lən  ; falling

1

a

: to come or go down freely by the force of gravity

b

: to hang freely

hair falling over her shoulders

c

: to drop oneself to a lower position

fell to their knees

d

: to come as if by dropping down

night fell

2

a

: to become of lower degree or level

the temperature fell 10°

b

: to become lowered

his eyes fell

3

a

: to topple from an upright position suddenly

slipped and fell on the ice

b

: to enter blindly : stray

fell into a trap

c

: to drop down wounded or dead

soldiers who have fallen in battle

d

: to become captured or defeated

the fortress fell

e

: to experience ruin or failure

our plans fell through

4

: to fail to live up to a standard of conduct

5

a

: to move or extend downward

the ground falls away to the east

b

: to become less in amount or degree : diminish

the tide is falling

c

: to become less in quality, activity, quantity, or value

prices fell

d

: to take on a look of shame or low spirits

my face fell when I lost

6

a

: to occur at a certain time

my birthday falls on a Tuesday

b

: to come by chance

c

: to pass (as a responsibility) from one person to another

it fell to us to break the news

d

: to have the proper place or station

the accent falls on the second syllable

7

: to come within the range of something

falls under her responsibilities

8

: to pass from one condition of body or mind to another

fall ill

fall asleep

9

: to set about with enthusiasm or activity

fell to work

fall

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act of falling by the force of gravity

a fall from a horse

2

a

: a falling out, off, or away

the fall of the leaves

b

: autumn sense 1

c

: a thing or quantity that falls or has fallen

a heavy fall of snow

3

a

: loss of greatness : collapse

b

: the surrender or capture of a place under attack

c

: departure from innocence or goodness

4

a

: the downward slope of a hill

b

: waterfall

—usually used in plural

5

: a decrease in size, quantity, degree, activity, or value

6

: the distance which something falls

7

: an act of forcing a wrestler's shoulders to the mat