fall
37 ENTRIES FOUND:
- fall (verb)
- fall (noun)
- falling–out (noun)
- falling star (noun)
- fall guy (noun)
- free fall (noun)
- afoul of (adverb)
- asleep (adjective)
- backward (adverb)
- bottom (noun)
- chip (noun)
- crack (noun)
- deaf (adjective)
- ear (noun)
- easy (adjective)
- flat (adverb)
- foul (adjective)
- grace (noun)
- hand (noun)
- heap (noun)
- job (noun)
- lap (noun)
- line (noun)
- log (noun)
- net (noun)
- piece (noun)
- place (noun)
- prey (noun)
- ride (verb)
- seam (noun)
- short (adjective)
- short (adverb)
- stand (verb)
- step (noun)
- victim (noun)
- wheel (noun)
- wrong (adjective)
Britannica Dictionary definition of FALL
[no object]
1
a
:
to come or go down quickly from a high place or position
-
An apple fell from the tree.
-
A vase fell off the shelf.
-
Rain fell from the sky.
-
the sound of the falling rain
b
:
to come or go down suddenly from a standing position
— often + down or over
-
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.
-
a fallen tree
-
She fell down and hurt herself.
-
The tree fell over during the storm.
c
:
to let yourself come or go down to a lower position
-
He fell [=dropped, sank] to his knees and asked for forgiveness.
-
He fell back/forward onto the bed.
2
a
:
to come down at a particular place after moving through the air
— often + on
— sometimes used figuratively
-
The shot fell a great distance from its target.
-
A ray of light fell on the table.
-
music falling on the ear
b
:
to slope downward
— usually + away
-
The ground falls away to the east.
-
The sides of the ridge fall away steeply.
c
:
to hang down
-
Her hair fell loosely over her shoulders.
3
a
:
to become lower
-
The tide rose and fell.
-
The temperature fell after dark.
-
His heart rate fell (off) dramatically.
-
The value of the stock has fallen drastically.
b
:
to become less
— often + off
-
Participation in the group has fallen. [=declined]
-
Participation in the group has fallen off.
-
Factory production has fallen off.
c
:
to lose value
:
to suffer a decline in prices
-
Stocks fell several points in early trading today.
-
The market is continuing to fall.
d
:
to become less loud
-
His voice fell (to a whisper).
-
The music rose and fell.
4
a
of a glance or the eyes
:
to become lowered
-
Her eyes fell. [=she looked down]
b
of the face
:
to begin to look ashamed or disappointed
-
His face fell [=he looked disappointed] when he heard the news.
5
of night or darkness
:
to arrive or begin
-
Darkness falls early in the winter.
-
Night has fallen.
6
a
:
to be wounded or killed in battle
-
Many men fell on the battlefield that day.
b
:
to be captured or defeated
-
The fortress fell on the third day of the siege.
c
:
to experience ruin or failure
-
A great civilization fell in less than a century.
-
a fallen [=disgraced] leader
-
We will stand or fall together.
-
a politician who has fallen from power
-
The coalition government fell after only six months in office.
7
a
:
to happen at a specified time
-
Christmas falls on a Friday this year.
-
The worst weather of the year fell during his vacation.
b
— used when something (such as a responsibility) comes or passes to someone in a way that does not involve choice
-
It fell to me [=it was my responsibility] to tell them about the car accident.
-
Responsibility for the damage falls with the other driver.
-
The estate fell to his brother. [=his brother inherited the estate]
c
:
to have a specified proper place
-
The accent falls on the second syllable.
-
The comma falls inside the quotation mark.
8
:
to belong in a particular category or range
-
This word falls within the class of verbs.
-
Her political views fall somewhere between liberal and conservative.
-
His creative output falls into three distinct categories.
9
a
— used when someone's body or mind passes from one condition or state to another
-
She fell ill/sick.
-
He fell asleep.
b
— used when something passes to a different and usually a less active or less desirable state or condition
-
The crowd fell silent.
-
This word has fallen [=gone] out of use. = This word has fallen into disuse. [=this word is no longer used]
-
His theories have now fallen into disrepute/disfavor.
-
The machinery has fallen into disrepair.
10
:
to start doing something in a very active and energetic way
— + to
-
She came in and fell immediately to work.
(as) easy as falling off a log
fall afoul of
fall (all) over yourself
:
to be very eager or too eager
-
Fans were falling over themselves trying to meet the basketball star.
-
Reviewers are falling all over themselves to praise her latest novel.
fall apart
[phrasal verb]
1
:
to break into parts in usually a sudden and unexpected way
— often used figuratively
-
The pie was falling apart as I tried to serve it.
-
I feel as if my family is falling apart.
◊ Something that is falling apart is in very bad condition.
-
My old car is falling apart.
-
The house was falling apart when we bought it.
2
:
to become unable to live in a normal way because you are experiencing a lot of confusion or emotional pain
-
She began to fall apart when her son was imprisoned.
fall away
[phrasal verb]
:
to become gradually less
:
to disappear gradually
-
The sound of the parade fell away in the distance.
fall back
[phrasal verb]
1
:
to move back away from something dangerous or threatening
:
retreat
-
The crowd fell back when the police arrived.
-
The guerrillas fell back across the border after a brief battle with the army.
2
fall back on (something)
also
fall back upon (something)
:
to use (something) for help or protection when you are in a bad situation
-
When her health insurance was canceled she had nothing to fall back on.
-
They had to fall back on their emergency supplies when the snow storm blocked the road to town.
fall behind
[phrasal verb]
1
:
to fail to move or go forward as quickly as others
-
We had to stop several times so that the slower hikers wouldn't fall (too far) behind.
2
:
to fail to do something as quickly as planned or required
— often + with
— often + on
-
We've been falling further behind with our work.
-
I am falling behind on my homework.
-
We fell behind on our car payments.
fall down on the job
:
to do a job badly
-
The people who are supposed to be keeping the city clean have been falling down on the job.
fall flat
:
to produce no response or result
-
All of his jokes fell flat. [=no one laughed at his jokes]
fall for
[phrasal verb]
1
fall for (someone)
:
to feel a strong attraction for (someone)
:
to fall in love with (someone)
-
He fell for her the moment he saw her.
-
He fell for her hard. = He fell hard for her. = He fell for her like a ton of bricks. [=he became deeply in love with her]
2
fall for (something)
:
to be fooled by (something, such as a trick)
-
I can't believe you fell for that old trick.
fall foul of
fall from grace
fall in
[phrasal verb]
1
:
to break apart and fall down in an inward direction
2
:
to take your place in a military formation
—
compare fall out (below)
-
The troops were ordered to fall in.
fall in/into line
:
to start to do what you are told or required to do
-
Several of the older companies have refused to fall in line (with the new regulations).
-
It was weeks before the new prisoner fell into line.
fall in love, fall out of love
fall into
[phrasal verb]
1
:
to be caught in (a trap)
-
We fell into a trap.
2
:
to begin to do or experience (something) or to be affected by (something) without wanting or trying to
-
He fell deeply into debt.
-
She fell into her career almost accidentally.
-
She fell into the habit of going out for ice cream every night.
fall into place
:
to fit together
:
to make sense
-
The pieces of the puzzle/mystery are finally starting to fall into place.
fall into step
fall into the hands of
:
to come to be held or possessed by (someone)
-
Officials are concerned that the stolen weapons may fall into the hands of terrorists. [=that terrorists may get/obtain the stolen weapons]
fall into the wrong hands
:
to come to be held or possessed by the wrong person or group
-
There could be a disaster if the weapons fell into the wrong hands.
fall into your lap
fall in with
[phrasal verb]
1
fall in with (someone)
:
to begin to spend time with (someone)
-
Their daughter fell in with a bad crowd.
2
fall in with (something)
:
to accept and act in agreement with (something)
-
They readily fell in with our plans.
fall off
[phrasal verb]
:
to stop being attached to something
—
see also 1fall 3b (above)
-
The handle was so loose that it almost fell off.
fall on/upon
[phrasal verb]
1
fall on/upon (something)
a
:
to begin to experience (something)
:
to meet with (an experience)
-
We fell on hard times after I lost my job.
-
The company fell upon some unexpected competition.
b
:
to notice (something) especially without wanting or trying to
-
Her eyes/glance fell on the letter on his desk.
2
fall on/upon (someone)
:
to attack (someone) suddenly
-
They fell on the enemy soldiers and killed every one of them.
fall on deaf ears
fall on your feet
fall out
[phrasal verb]
1
of a tooth or hair
:
to stop being attached to the body
-
The cancer treatments made her hair fall out.
2
:
to have an argument
—
see also falling-out
-
They fell out [=fought, argued] over money.
-
He had fallen out [=quarreled] with his neighbor.
3
:
to leave your place in a military formation
—
compare fall in (above)
-
The soldiers were ordered to fall out.
fall over backward
fall prey to
fall short
1
:
to fail to be as good or successful as expected or hoped for
— often + of
-
In comparison to her previous novel, this one falls short. [=this one is not as good]
-
Her current book falls short of her previous novel.
-
The cruise fell short of our expectations. [=the cruise was not as good as we expected it to be]
2
:
to fail to reach a goal
— often + of
-
Their efforts fell short.
-
Their efforts fell (far) short of (achieving) their goal.
fall through
[phrasal verb]
:
to fail or stop in a sudden or final way
-
Contract negotiations have fallen through.
-
Our vacation plans have fallen through.
fall through/between the cracks
fall through the net
fall to pieces
fall under
[phrasal verb]
fall under (something)
:
to be influenced or affected by (something)
-
He fell under her influence.
-
fall under a spell
-
He has fallen under suspicion. [=people have begun to suspect him of doing something]
fall victim to
let the chips fall where they may
2
fall
/ˈfɑːl/
noun
plural
falls
2
fall
/ˈfɑːl/
noun
plural
falls
Britannica Dictionary definition of FALL
1
[count]
:
the act of falling: such as
a
:
the act of coming or going down from a high position or from a standing position
-
a fall from a horse
-
She's had/suffered several bad falls in recent years.
-
a fall of three feet
-
He slipped on the ice and hurt his hand when he tried to break his fall. [=to stop himself from falling]
b
:
the act of becoming lower
-
the rise and fall of the tide
2
US
:
the season between summer and winter
:
the season when leaves fall from trees
:
autumn
— often used before another noun
[count]
-
She went off to college in the fall.
-
an unusually warm fall
[noncount]
-
in early/late fall
-
Several weeks of fall remain before winter begins.
-
When fall came he planted grass.
-
our fall catalog
-
a new fall coat
-
fall colors/foliage
-
the fall harvest
3
[count]
:
a decrease in the size, amount, degree, activity, or value of something
-
a fall in the price of oil
4
a
[singular]
:
loss of power or greatness
-
the rise and fall [=collapse] of an empire
b
[singular]
:
the surrender or capture of a place that is being attacked
-
the fall of Troy
-
The fall of the fort caused the local civilians to flee.
c
[singular]
:
loss of innocence or goodness
-
a fall from virtue
d
the Fall
:
the event in the Bible when Adam and Eve are forced to leave the Garden of Eden because they have sinned against God
5
[count]
:
an area on a river or stream where water runs steeply downward
— usually plural
-
Bears hunted for fish in the rocky falls. [=waterfall]
-
Niagara Falls
