fall

UK /foːl/ US /fɔːl/

noun 6verb 5name 2intj 1

Definitions

verb

To be moved downwards.

Thrown from a cliff, the stone fell 100 feet before hitting the ground.

I fell unconscious on the floor.

To be moved downwards.

The rain fell at dawn.

Her eyes fell on the table, and she advanced into the room wiping her hands on her apron.

To be moved downwards.

Once or twice a noise fell upon his quick ear, and we halted, he standing revolver in hand in an attitude of defense. Each time, however, we ascertained that we had no occasion for alarm, the noise being made by some animal or bird ...

And then a sudden calm fell on us like a cloud of fear. There! on the table, lay the Jewel of Seven Stars, shining and sparkling with lurid light, as though each of the seven points of each of the seven stars gleamed through blood!

To be moved downwards.

He fell to the floor and begged for mercy.

To be moved downwards.

noun

The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity.

the fall of the snow

the fall of the water

A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc.

“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”.

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.

A friend has pointed out to me the following remark on this word: "In North America the season in which this [the fall of the leaf] takes place, derives its name from that circumstance, and instead of autumn is universally called the fall." [brackets in original]

A loss of greatness or status.

the fall of Rome

That which falls or cascades.

A fall of hair tumbled down one side of her body like a veil.

The heat of Daniel's gaze was nearly incendiary as he took in the fall of her hair spilling across her shoulders and down to her elbows.

intj

The cry given when a whale is sighted, or harpooned.

Collocations

(noun.) accident

ADJ

bad, nasty, terrible

My grandfather had a terrible fall down the stairs last winter.

accidental

VERB + FALL

have, suffer, take

My grandfather suffered a bad fall on the stairs last winter.

break, cushion

The thick mattress cushioned her fall when she jumped off the bed.

survive

She was lucky to survive the fall from the ladder with only minor injuries.

PREP

in a/the ~

She broke her arm in a fall from the ladder last week.

~ from

The child suffered a serious injury in her fall from the playground equipment.

(noun.) of snow/rocks

ADJ

heavy

light

fresh

After the fresh fall of snow overnight, the children rushed outside to build a snowman.

rock, snow (also snowfall)

PREP

~ of

A sudden fall of snow during the night made all the roads dangerous to drive on.

(noun.) decrease

ADJ

big, dramatic, great, large, marked, massive, significant, substantial

The company experienced a dramatic fall in profits after the product recall.

modest, slight, small

steady

rapid, sharp, steep, sudden, swift

expected, projected

Economists warned of an expected fall in house prices next year.

unexpected

continuing, further

overall

catastrophic

VERB + FALL

bring, cause, contribute to, lead to, trigger

see, suffer

He didn't see the fall coming when he tripped on the icy sidewalk.

record, reveal, show

The latest sales figures reveal a sharp fall in customer spending this quarter.

report

The government reported a significant fall in unemployment figures last month.

represent

The latest sales figures represent a fall in customer spending this quarter.

FALL + VERB

occur

A significant fall in house prices occurred last year in our neighborhood.

PREP

~ in

There was a sharp fall in temperatures last night, so we needed extra blankets.

(noun.) defeat

VERB + FALL

bring about, cause, contribute to, lead to

His poor decisions contributed to the fall of his successful business.

PREP

~ from

PHRASES

the rise and fall of sth

The documentary explores the rise and fall of several famous tech companies over the last decade.

(verb.) drop down towards the ground

ADV

heavily

The old man fell heavily against the wall after losing his balance on the stairs.

steadily

Snow fell steadily throughout the night, covering the entire garden in white.

down, off, overboard

The ladder tipped over and he fell down the stairs.

VERB + FALL

be about to

let sb/sth

When the ball rolled toward the edge, I let it fall into the garden below.

PREP

from, into

The heavy snow fell from the dark clouds throughout the entire afternoon.

Rain fell on the roof during the storm last night.

onto

Heavy snow was falling onto the roof during the storm last night.

The heavy snow fell to the ground during the night and covered everything.

(verb.) suddenly stop standing

ADV

almost, nearly

The ladder started to tip over, but I nearly fell while climbing down.

headlong

The drunk man stumbled and fell headlong down the basement stairs last night.

down, over

The old man fell down the stairs and hurt his leg badly.

VERB + FALL

be about to

The old bridge was about to fall into the river when they finally repaired it.

PHRASES

stumble/trip and fall

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the act of surrendering (usually under agreed conditions)

noun — a sudden drop from an upright position

noun — a sudden sharp decrease in some quantity

noun — a free and rapid descent by the force of gravity

drop

noun — a sudden decline in strength or number or importance

downfall

noun — when a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat

noun — a downward slope or bend

noun — the time of day immediately following sunset

twilight
dusk
gloaming
gloam
nightfall
evenfall
crepuscule
crepuscle

noun — the season when the leaves fall from the trees

autumn

verb — decrease in size, extent, or range

verb — come as if by falling

verb — fall or flow in a certain way

verb — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way

descend

verb — be inherited by

verb — fall to somebody by assignment or lot

light

verb — come into the possession of

accrue

verb — touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly

verb — come under, be classified or included

come

verb — fall from clouds

precipitate

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

fall asleep

To pass from a state of wakefulness into sleep.

She wakened in sharp panic, bewildered by the grotesquerie of some half-remembered dream in contrast with the harshness of inclement fact, drowsily realizing that since she had fal

fall between two stools

To fit into neither of two categories and, hence, be neglected or fail.

Unfortunately, it fell between two stools: it was not good enough to be a competition car and those who wanted a roadburner preferred the Iso Grifo, which was better equipped.

fall off a truck

Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession without having been paid for; to be acquired illegally; to have been stolen.

He said he bought it at the markets but I think it fell off a truck.

fall off the back of a lorry

Of an item of merchandise, to come into a person's possession without having been paid for; to have been acquired illegally.

fall through the cracks

To be missed; to escape the necessary notice or attention.

Although more than two decades have passed, not a day goes by that I don't wonder how things could and should be different for the many children like Lydia who fall through the cra

Example Bank

Thrown from a cliff, the stone fell 100 feet before hitting the ground.

Wiktionary

I fell unconscious on the floor.

Wiktionary

There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

Wiktionary

the fall of the snow

Wiktionary

the fall of the water

Wiktionary

the fall of the leaf

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, fall is marked as archaic, US. Watch for register when choosing this word.

Your note

not saved

0 chars