fallen

American  

[faw-luhn] / ˈfɔ lən /

verb

1. past participle of fall.

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adjective

1. having dropped or come down from a higher place, from an upright position, or from a higher level, degree, amount, quality, value, number, etc.

2. on the ground; prostrate; down flat.

   Exhausted, the racers lay fallen by the road.

3. degraded or immoral.

4. (of a woman) having lost her chastity.

5. overthrown, destroyed, or conquered.

   a fallen city.

6. dead.

   fallen troops.

fallen British  

/ ˈfɔːlən /

verb

1. the past participle of fall

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adjective

1. having sunk in reputation or honour

   a fallen woman

2. killed in battle with glory

   our fallen heroes

3. defeated

Other Word Forms

• unfallen adjective

Etymology

Origin of fallen

First recorded before 900, for the adjective

Example Sentences

Nets have been placed over certain streets; in previous years metal kite strings have fallen on to electricity wires giving an electric shock to anyone holding them - and causing the wires to short circuit.

From BBC

And this isn’t the first time that Charles Dow’s brainchild has fallen out of favor.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Met Office said on Thursday that rain had fallen every day of 2026 in south-west England and South Wales, with both areas seeing 50% more rainfall than usual.

From BBC

It’s why fellow skaters have fallen under his spell.

From Los Angeles Times

Measles cases have increased in the United States as vaccination rates have fallen in recent years, allowing the highly contagious virus to spread in communities with lower immunization coverage.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• collapsed
• decayed