fall
verb (used without object)
to drop or descend under the force of gravity, as to a lower place through loss or lack of support.
fall
1 American
[fawl]
/ fɔl /
verb (used without object)
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falls,
present (3rd person singular)
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fell,
past
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fallen,
past participle
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falling
present participle
-
to drop or descend under the force of gravity, as to a lower place through loss or lack of support.
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to come or drop down suddenly to a lower position, especially to leave a standing or erect position suddenly, whether voluntarily or not.
to fall on one's knees.
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to become less or lower; become of a lower level, degree, amount, quality, value, number, etc.; decline.
The temperature fell ten degrees.
Stock prices fell to a new low for the year.
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to subside or abate.
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extend downward; hang down.
Her hair falls to her shoulders.
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to become lowered or directed downward, as the eyes.
My eyes fell before his steady gaze.
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to become lower in pitch or volume.
Her voice fell, and she looked about in confusion.
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to succumb to temptation or sin, especially to become unchaste or to lose one's innocence.
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to lose status, dignity, position, character, etc.
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to succumb to attack.
The city fell to the enemy.
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to be overthrown, as a government.
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to drop down wounded or dead, especially to be slain.
to fall in battle.
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to pass into some physical, mental, or emotional condition.
to fall asleep; to fall in love.
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to envelop or come as if by dropping, as stillness or night.
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to issue forth.
Witty remarks fall easily from his lips.
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to come by lot or chance.
The chore fell to him.
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to come by chance into a particular position.
to fall among thieves.
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to come to pass, occur, or become at a certain time.
Christmas falls on a Monday this year.
The rent falls due the first of every month.
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to have its proper place.
The accent falls on the last syllable.
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to come by right.
The inheritance fell to the only living relative.
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to be naturally divisible (usually followed byinto ).
The story fell into two distinct parts.
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to lose animation; appear disappointed, as the face.
His face fell when he heard the bad news.
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to slope or extend in a downward direction.
The field falls gently to the river.
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to be directed, as light, sight, etc., on something.
His eyes fell upon the note on the desk.
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to collapse, as through weakness, damage, poor construction, or the like; topple or sink.
The old tower fell under its own weight.
The cake fell when he slammed the oven door.
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(of an animal, especially a lamb) to be born.
Two lambs fell yesterday.
verb (used with object)
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falls,
present (3rd person singular)
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fell,
past
-
fallen,
past participle
-
falling
present participle
noun
-
falls
plural
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an act or instance of falling or dropping from a higher to a lower place or position.
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that which falls or drops.
a heavy fall of rain.
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the season of the year that comes after summer and before winter; autumn.
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a becoming less; a lowering or decline; a sinking to a lower level.
the fall of the Roman Empire.
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the distance through which anything falls.
It is a long fall to the ground from this height.
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Usually falls a cataract or waterfall.
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downward slope or declivity.
the gentle rise and fall of the meadow.
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a falling from an erect position, as to the ground.
to have a bad fall.
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a hanging down.
a fall of long hair.
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a succumbing to temptation; lapse into sin.
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(sometimes lowercase) the Fall, the lapse of human beings into a state of natural or innate sinfulness through the sin of Adam and Eve.
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Slang. an arrest by the police.
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surrender or capture, as of a city.
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proper place.
the fall of an accent on a syllable.
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Wrestling.
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an act or instance of holding or forcing an opponent's shoulders against the mat for a specified length of time.
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a match or division of a match.
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a hairpiece consisting of long hair that is attached to one's own hair at the crown and usually allowed to hang freely down the back of the head so as to cover or blend with the natural hair.
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an opaque veil hanging loose from the back of a hat.
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a decorative cascade of lace, ruffles, or the like.
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Machinery, Nautical. the part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting.
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Hunting. a deadfall.
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the long soft hair that hangs over the forehead and eyes of certain terriers.
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Armor. a pivoted peak projecting over the face opening of a burgonet.
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Astrology. the sign of the zodiac in which the most negative influence of a planet is expressed (opposed to exaltation).
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Mining. rock or ore that has collapsed from a roof, hanging wall, or the sides of a passage.
verb phrase
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fall through to come to nothing; fail of realization.
Despite all his efforts, the deal fell through.
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fall off
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to separate from; withdraw.
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to decrease in number, amount, or intensity; diminish.
Tourism falls off when the summer is over.
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Nautical. to deviate from the heading; fall to leeward.
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South Midland and Southern U.S. to lose weight, usually due to illness.
She was sick all winter and fell off till she was just skin and bones.
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fall back to give way; recede; retreat.
The relentless shelling forced the enemy to fall back.
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fall for
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to be deceived by.
Imagine falling for such an old trick.
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to fall in love with.
He's not at all the type you would expect her to fall for.
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fall behind
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to lag, in pace or progress.
We are falling behind in our work. Fatigued, some of the marchers fell behind.
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to fail to pay (a debt, obligation, etc.) at the appointed time.
She fell behind in her tax payments, and the property was confiscated.
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fall under
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to be the concern or responsibility of.
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to be classified as; be included within.
That case falls under the heading of errors of judgment.
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fall on / upon
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to assault; attack.
The enemy fell on them suddenly from the rear.
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to be the obligation of.
It has fallen on me to support the family.
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to experience; encounter.
Once well-to-do, they had fallen on hard times.
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to chance upon; come upon.
I fell upon the idea while looking through a magazine.
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fall in
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to fall to pieces toward the interior; sink inward.
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to take one's place in the ranks, as a soldier.
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Also fall in with to become acquainted with, especially by chance.
We fell in with an interesting couple from Paris.
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fall out
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to quarrel; disagree.
We fell out over who was to wash the dishes.
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to happen; occur.
It fell out that we met by chance weeks later.
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to leave one's place in the ranks, as a soldier.
They were ordered to fall out when the parade ended.
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Slang. to burst out laughing.
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South Midland and Southern U.S. to become unconscious; pass out.
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fall to
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to apply oneself; begin.
to fall to work.
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to begin to eat.
They fell to and soon finished off the entire turkey.
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fall back on / upon
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Also fall back to to retreat to.
They fell back on their entrenchments. The troops fell back to their original position.
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to have recourse to; rely on.
They had no savings to fall back on.
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fall down to perform disappointingly; to disappoint; fail.
He was doing well on the exam until he fell down on the last essay question.
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fall away
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to withdraw support or allegiance.
The candidate's supporters fell away when he advocated racial discrimination.
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to become lean or thin; diminish; decline.
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to forsake one's faith, cause, or principles.
Many fell away because they were afraid of reprisals.
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idioms
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fall off the roof, to menstruate.
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fall / come short. short.
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fall foul / afoul of. foul.
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fall over backward(s),
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bend.
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to exhibit great eagerness, especially in pursuit of one's own advantage.
The candidate fell over backward in support of the issues that would win votes.
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fall out of bed, to get out of bed quickly.
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fall / land on one's feet. feet.
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fall all over oneself, to show unusual or excessive enthusiasm or eagerness, especially in the hope of being favored or rewarded: Also fall over oneself
The young trainees fell all over themselves to praise the boss's speech.
Fall
2
American
[fawl]
/ fɔl /
noun
fall
1
British
/ fɔːl /
verb
-
to descend by the force of gravity from a higher to a lower place
-
to drop suddenly from an erect position
-
to collapse to the ground, esp in pieces
-
to become less or lower in number, quality, etc
prices fell in the summer
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to become lower in pitch
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to extend downwards
her hair fell to her waist
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to be badly wounded or killed
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to slope in a downward direction
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Christianity to yield to temptation or sin
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to diminish in status, estimation, etc
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to yield to attack
the city fell under the assault
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to lose power
the government fell after the riots
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to pass into or take on a specified condition
to fall asleep
fall in love
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to adopt a despondent expression
her face fell
-
to be averted
her gaze fell
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to come by chance or presumption
suspicion fell on the butler
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to occur; take place
night fell
Easter falls early this year
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(of payments) to be due
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to be directed to a specific point
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to move in a specified direction
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to occur at a specified place
the accent falls on the last syllable
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(foll by to) to return (to); be inherited (by)
the estate falls to the eldest son
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to be classified or included
the subject falls into two main areas
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to issue forth
a curse fell from her lips
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(of animals, esp lambs) to be born
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dialect to become pregnant
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dialect (tr) to fell (trees)
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cricket (of a batsman's wicket) to be taken by the bowling side
the sixth wicket fell for 96
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archaic to begin to do
fall a-doing
fall to doing
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to fail to achieve a desired effect
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to come into conflict with
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nautical to come into collision with
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-
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to prove inadequate
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(often foll by of) to fail to reach or measure up to (a standard)
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noun
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an act or instance of falling
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something that falls
a fall of snow
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autumn
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the distance that something falls
a hundred-foot fall
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a sudden drop from an upright position
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(often plural)
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a waterfall or cataract
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( capital when part of a name )
Niagara Falls
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a downward slope or decline
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a decrease in value, number, etc
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a decline in status or importance
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a moral lapse or failing
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a capture or overthrow
the fall of the city
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a long false hairpiece; switch
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a piece of loosely hanging material, such as a veil on a hat
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machinery nautical the end of a tackle to which power is applied to hoist it
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nautical one of the lines of a davit for holding, lowering, or raising a boat
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Also called: pinfall. wrestling a scoring move, pinning both shoulders of one's opponent to the floor for a specified period
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hunting
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another word for deadfall
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( as modifier )
a fall trap
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-
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the birth of an animal
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the animals produced at a single birth
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slang to be blamed, punished, or imprisoned
Fall
2
British
/ fɔːl /
noun
fall
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fallsimple
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fallssimple
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have fallenperfect
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has fallenperfect
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am fallingprogressive
-
are fallingprogressive
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is fallingprogressive
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have been fallingperfect progressive
-
has been fallingperfect progressive
Past
-
fellsimple
-
had fallenperfect
-
was fallingprogressive
-
were fallingprogressive
-
had been fallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fall
First recorded before 900; Middle English fallen, Old English feallan; cognate with German fallen, Old Norse falla; akin to Lithuanian pùlti “to fall”
Explanation
Looking at the multitude of meanings for the word fall, one thing comes clear: the word is most often associated with a drop or descent of some kind, whether that be a physical fall from a high place or a metaphorical fall from power or grace. In the 16th Century, autumn was known as "the fall of the leaf," which later became just fall, but the actual word is much older than that, traceable to the Old English feallan. Many meanings, including a fall in temperature, to fall in love or to fall asleep, all stem from the Middle Ages. If you're the "fall guy," you're going to get blamed, or "take the fall." If you fall in love and then fall out of favor with your beloved, your next action might fall under the category of "gift giving" or just "kissing up."
Vocabulary lists containing fall
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.
See Examples For:
A drone attack that heavily damaged one of Saudi Arabia’s pipelines is expected to cause crude oil exports to fall by 400,000 barrels per day this month alone.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
For the Dodgers, the worst tickets seldom fall to market rate, because the team would rather live with a few empty seats rather than condition fans to hold out for a lower price.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The fall theater season is still in a fledgling state, but with this marvel of a show it is off to a heartening—make that breathtaking—start.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
One would think that would be enough to force the S&P 500 to fall through market support.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
In our time, we read about hypothermia killing mountain climbers, or sailors who fall into cold water.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
This article appears in the Fall Men's Style issue of WSJ.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The researchers then compared their new measurements with data from another Mount Etna eruption known as the Fall Stratified event, which occurred nearly 4,000 years ago.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Fall is mellower, even if the hills might be a little browner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Eight works from the collection will headline the 20th Century Evening Sale, the highlight of Christie’s Fall Marquee Week in New York in November.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
“I have a Fall Ball committee meeting. You should see what Gregor does after school.”
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
With the nonleague victory, JSerra improves to 4-1, while Bishop Amat falls to 4-1.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
This pushes Brent crude down 1.9% to $102.87 a barrel while WTI falls 1.7% to $100.15 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The case called at Ayr Sheriff Court because the resort falls within its jurisdiction, while Steele and Orbis have no connections there.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
That is when the value of a property falls below the value of the loan still owed on it - leaving the borrower with potentially painful costs if they suddenly have to sell.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Hey, don’t be scared about meeting Mr. Retro. Long as neither of us burps, farts, or falls, it’ll be fine.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Their attempt to show they paid a price premium also fell short.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Pantoja dislocated his elbow when he fell while trying to defend against one of Van’s moves on Dec. 6 at UFC 323 in Las Vegas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The Dow was off 1.7% on the week, while the S&P 500 fell 0.1% and the Nasdaq gained 0.7%, according to FactSet.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
In 1997, spreads on the ICE BofA high-grade corporate index fell to under 0.6 percentage point.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
But a moment later, she again fell deep into thought.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Kate Chatfield said her father had been in cognitive decline for the last year and had fallen ill on the day of his passing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
In written submissions, he said the officer accepted that his conduct had fallen "below the standard expected of him", for which he apologised and expressed regret.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
But a more recent Nature study published in 2025 found that the frequency of extreme fire intensity has fallen 35%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
This comes despite a flat performance for short-term debt and the net asset value of U.S. long-term bond funds having fallen close to 5%, Chua said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Such useful advice after I’d already fallen out of a tower.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
In 2022, he also had a public falling out with fellow comedian and former mentor, Gallagher, who died that year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Ultimately, it was a tale of Chelsea's attack not firing, and the team then falling apart after Brentford got their noses in front.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Negative convexity means potential price gains for investors from the bond are capped by falling interest rates because borrowers can pay off their loans long before maturity.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Yet the yen still lost value relative to the dollar after the move, falling to nearly ¥158 per dollar and settling at ¥157 from about ¥156.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
He attempted a response between hops sixty-one and sixty-five but found that the hare’s rising and falling was making conversation difficult.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
