Fall

Pronunciation

• UK enPR: fôl, IPA: /fɔːl/
• US enPR: fôl, IPA: /fÉ”l/
• cot-caught enPR: fäl, IPA: /fÉ‘l/
• Rhymes: -ɔːl

Origin

From Middle English fallen, from Old English feallan ("to fall, fail, decay, die, attack"), from Proto-Germanic *fallaną ("to fall"), from Proto-Indo-European *pōl-, *spōl- ("to fall"). Cognate with West Frisian falle ("to fall"), Low German fallen ("to fall"), Dutch vallen ("to fall"), German fallen ("to fall"), Icelandic falla ("to fall"), Albanian fal ("forgive, pray, salute, greet"), Lithuanian pùlti (""), Ancient Greek σφάλλω (sphállō, "bring down, destroy, cause to stumble, deceive").

Full definition of fall

Verb

1. (intransitive) To move downwards.
1. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
   Thrown from a cliff, the stone fell 100 feet before hitting the ground.
2. To come down, to drop or descend.
   The rain fell at dawn.
• 1920, Herman Cyril McNeile, Bulldog Drummond Chapter 1Her eyes fell on the table, and she advanced into the room wiping her hands on her apron.
3. To come to the ground deliberately, to prostrate oneself.
   He fell to the floor and begged for mercy.
4. To be brought to the ground.
5. (transitive) To be moved downwards.
1. (obsolete) To let fall; to drop.
• William Shakespeare (1564-1616)For every tear he falls, a Trojan bleeds.
2. (obsolete) To sink; to depress.
   to fall the voice
3. (UK, US, dialect, archaic) To fell; to cut down.
   to fall a tree
4. (intransitive) To happen, to change negatively.
1. (copulative) To become.
   She has fallen ill.
   The children fell asleep in the back of the car.
   When did you first fall in love?
2. To occur (on a certain day of the week, date, or similar); said of an instance of a recurring event such as a holiday or date.
   Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday.
   Last year, Commencement fell on June 3.
3. (intransitive) To collapse; to be overthrown or defeated.
   Rome fell to the Goths in 410 AD.
4. (intransitive, formal, euphemistic) To die, especially in battle or by disease.
   This is a monument to all those who fell in the First World War.
5. (intransitive) To become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc).
   The candidate's poll ratings fell abruptly after the banking scandal.
• Sir J. DaviesThe greatness of these Irish lords suddenly fell and vanished.
• 1835, Sir John Ross, Sir James Clark Ross, Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1, pp.284-5Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.
• 2013-07-20, Old soldiers?, Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine....One thing that is true, though, is that murder rates have fallen over the centuries, as policing has spread and the routine carrying of weapons has diminished. Modern society may not have done anything about war. But peace is a lot more peaceful.
6. (followed by a determining word or phrase) To become; to be affected by or befallen with a calamity; to change into the state described by words following; to become prostrated literally or figuratively see #Usage notes, Usage notes below.
   Our senator fell into disrepute because of the banking scandal.
7. (transitive) To be allotted to; to arrive through chance, fate, or inheritance.
   And so it falls to me to make this important decision.
   The estate fell to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals.
• Alexander PopeIf to her share some female errors fall,
  Look on her face, and you'll forget them all.
8. (transitive, obsolete) To diminish; to lessen or lower.
• John Locke (1632-1705)Upon lessening interest to four per cent, you fall the price of your native commodities.
9. (transitive, obsolete) To bring forth.
   to fall lambs
10. (intransitive, obsolete) To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; said of the young of certain animals.
11. To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin.
• Bible, Hebrews iv. 11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
12. To become ensnared or entrapped; to be worse off than before.to fall into error; to fall into difficulties
13. To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; said of the face.
• Bible, Genesis iv. 5Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
• AddisonI have observed of late thy looks are fallen.
14. To happen; to come to pass; to chance or light (upon).
• Jonathan SwiftThe Romans fell on this model by chance.
• Bible, Ruth iii. 18Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall.
• H. SpencerPrimitive men ... do not make laws, they fall into customs.
15. To begin with haste, ardour, or vehemence; to rush or hurry.After arguing, they fell to blows.
• Jowett (Thucyd.)They now no longer doubted, but fell to work heart and soul.
16. To be dropped or uttered carelessly.An unguarded expression fell from his lips.

Synonyms

• (move to a lower position under the effect of gravity) drop, plummet, plunge
• (come down) come down, descend, drop
• (come to the ground deliberately) drop, lower oneself, prostrate oneself
• (be brought to the ground)
• collapse; be overthrown or defeated: be beaten by, be defeated by, be overthrown by, be smitten by, be vanquished by,
• (die) die
• (be allotted to) be the responsibility of, be up to
• become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc): dip, drop
• (become) become, get
• cause (something) to descend to the ground: cut down of a tree, fell, knock down, knock over, strike down

Antonyms

• (come down) ascend, go up, rise
• (come to the ground deliberately) get up, pick oneself up, stand up
• collapse; be overthrown or defeated: beat, defeat, overthrow, smite, vanquish
• become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc): rise

Derived terms

Related terms

Noun

1. The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
2. A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc.
• 1908, W. B. M. Ferguson, Zollenstein Chapter 1, “I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”.
3. (chiefly North America, obsolete elsewhere, from the falling of leaves during this season) The time of the year when the leaves typically fall from the trees; autumn; the season of the year between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. from 16th c.
4. A loss of greatness or status.
   the fall of Rome
5. (sport) A crucial event or circumstance.
1. (cricket, of a wicket) The action of a batsman being out.
2. (curling) A defect in the ice which causes stones thrown into an area to drift in a given direction.
3. (wrestling) An instance of a wrestler being pinned to the mat.
6. (informal, US) Blame or punishment for a failure or misdeed.
   He set up his rival to take the fall.
7. The part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting.
8. See fallsmoved: (In plural only: falls) A waterfall.
9. An old Scots unit of measure equal to six ells.

Synonyms

• (act of moving to a lower position) descent, drop
• (reduction) decrease, dip, drop, lowering, reduction
• (season) autumn
• (loss of greatness or status) downfall
• (blame; punishment) rap

Antonyms

• (act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity) ascent, rise
• (reduction) increase, rise
• (loss of greatness or status) ascent, rise

Derived terms

Related terms