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• free fall
  free fall

  noun

  the hypothetical fall of a body such that the only force acting upon it is that of gravity.
• free-fall
  free-fall

  verb (used without object)

  (of parachutists) to descend initially, as for a designated interval, in a free fall.

free fall

¹ American  

noun

1. the hypothetical fall of a body such that the only force acting upon it is that of gravity.

2. the part of a parachute jump that precedes the opening of the parachute.

3. a decline, especially a sudden or rapid decline, as in value or prestige, that appears to be endless or bottomless.

   The economy was in a free fall all winter.

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free-fall ² American  

[free-fawl] / ˈfriˌfɔl /

verb (used without object)

free-fell, free-fallen, free-falling

1. (of parachutists) to descend initially, as for a designated interval, in a free fall.

   The jumpers were required to free-fall for eight seconds.

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adjective

1. denoting or suggesting a free fall.

   a free-fall recession.

noun

1. free fall.

free fall British  

noun

1. free descent of a body in which the gravitational force is the only force acting on it

2. the part of a parachute descent before the parachute opens

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free fall Cultural  

1. In physics, the motion of a body being acted upon only by gravity. A satellite in orbit is in free fall, as is a skydiver (if we neglect the effects of air resistance).

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free fall Idioms  

1. A rapid, uncontrolled decline, as in The markets threatened to go into free fall and we came close to outright panic. This term transfers the aeronautical meaning of a free fall, that is, “a fall through the air without any impedance, such as a parachute,” to other kinds of precipitous drop. [Second half of 1900s]

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Discover More

During free fall, objects are said to be weightless.

Etymology

Origin of free fall¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Origin of free-fall²

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

When Bass took office, sworn staffing at the Los Angeles Police Department was in free fall.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

The number of water voles nationally are in free fall, with more than 90 per cent of them lost since the 1970s, the Mammal Society said.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Not long after Sora 2 launched as a stand-alone, limited-access app in the fall, user growth went into total free fall, with downloads plunging by nearly 75 percent from their November peak.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

What it wasn’t for was a team that entered the weekend in free fall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

By now, more than ten million Americans were unemployed, and the auto industry was in a perilous free fall.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama